Dragonbound
by Wolfspiration
Summary: Prince Naruto of Konoha Kingdom suddenly finds himself plucked away by the claws of one of the most feared dragons in the land. Taken hostage by the beast, does Naruto attempt to slay it, or perhaps try to understand the reasoning behind his abduction? Either way, he isn't going to like what he eventually learns...
1. Chapter 1

**PROLOGUE**

 _One century ago, a war had started between dragons and humans. A war that consisted of death, fire, bloodshed, tyranny, and betrayal. For years, the humans had trusted the dragons. They looked to them for guidance and support. And the dragons had done the same. The two species were dependent on each other, but as if it were nothing more than a fleeting, nostalgic memory, history completely changed._

 _The dragons had suddenly turned on people. Setting fires to villages, attacking kingdoms, taking children and riches, and just becoming plain bloodthirsty. It came as a shock to everyone, to see that their most powerful and trusted allies had become nothing more than merciless monsters. No one had expected it to happen because of the whimsical and mutual understanding the two species had between each other, but at the same time, the threat was always there. The threat was there, and all the people berated themselves for being too stupid to see it. For being so oblivious to the danger. For trusting an absolute monster._

 _For nearly one hundred years, the war continued to wage against the dragons. Dragons were eventually banished completely from stepping foot upon human settlements or they would be killed. Marriage and partnerships between people and dragons were now considered taboo. Dragons nests would be found and raided, have their eggs stolen, the parents killed and then cooked to celebrate the destruction of the species. Hunting dragons had become a sport and the killing of one would often result in the person becoming knighted or heralded as a hero for protecting their kingdom and land. Some had even become nothing more than meager slaves or pets to humans, chained up and forced to obey every command or face being beheaded. This was the new era. The era between dragons and people; the era of absolute fear between the two species. The era that was born out of mutual agreement, understanding, and support for one another, was no longer existent._

The eleven year old, blue eyed boy sat in his grandfather's lap, staring at the book and listening carefully to the story that he heard almost every night before bed when he refused to go to sleep. Even though he should know this history by heart, just hearing of what it used to be like was something quite mysterious, quite elegant, even quite unsettling to the young prince. "So are all dragons bad, grandpa?"

The old man chuckled as he turned a page, showing a picture of a dragon nuzzling what appeared to be a princess. "No, Naruto. Not all dragons are or were bad. Some were even heralded as heroes and knights that served kingdoms. They would be fitted with armor and help fight wars and make treaties between other kingdoms. They even protected princes and princesses during times of great battle, and served kings and queens."

"So then, why did we have to banish them? Even though our kingdom still has a pact with dragons, why do we have to keep them away from us in the forest by our kingdom? And how come other kingdoms wont do the same?"

"Because..." the old man sighed, "We are probably one of the only kingdoms left that still protects dragons. We made a pact with them, offering them protection from being hunted and extinguished. And they offered their own protection in exchange. What our kingdom does is considered taboo by many other kingdoms and people. They would rather see our downfall than have the continuation of the species in this world. But our family has a long history with dragons. They served us and we served them. There just isn't a way that we could kill them over the mistakes of but a few. And so, they are the only thing that protects us from the threat of other kingdoms. And we are the only ones that protect them. They don't deserve to die just because of what their ancestors did."

Naruto stared back at the book, trying to process his grandfather's words. "I think so too..." He said. "I don't think all dragons deserve to die. Mother even said she met a dragon once, and he was gentle and kind~"

"Oh? Your mother told you that?" The man chuckled, patting Naruto's head.

"Yeah! So I don't think any dragon would hurt us unless it had a reason to!"

"Naruto... you're just like your father." He said as he closed the book. "Now its time for you to go to bed."

"Yeah! Even father said that theres no chance of that happening. Father always tries to understand dragons~" Upon hearing that it was his bedtime, Naruto pouted. "But I don't wanna!" He clung to his grandfather. "I don't want to sleep, grandpa! How come you get to stay up?!"

"Because I'm not a prince who needs their beauty sleep. You've got another long day of sword training tomorrow."

"Hmph. But I'm already good at wielding a sword..."

"Yes, but you also need to work on your magic training, too." He playfully plucked his forehead. "Don't think that I haven't heard from your mentor that you've been skipping out."

"Ugh." Naruto rubbed his forehead. "But Madara's training is so hard! He always wants every move I make to be perfect! I hate it!"

"Now Naruto, Madara is the strongest mage in the kingdom, possibly in the world. His magic skills are unrivaled by many, and he has served this family well. You'd be wise to listen to him."

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. "Jiraiya, did you manage to put Naruto to sleep yet?" The door opened as a man stepped inside. They had a sturdy figure, dressed in a royal blue cape with orange, silken clothing and a golden crown adorned atop their head. As the man closed the door behind him and turned to face the prince and his grandfather, the flickering flames from the fireplace in the room bounced off his striking blue eyes and added a glow to his spiky blonde hair.

"Father!" Naruto ran up to the man and hugged him. "You're back from patrol!"

"Heheh..." the man chuckled as he warmly looked at his son and gave him a hug. "Yes, I'm back, Naruto."

"So, Minato..." Jiraiya stood from his chair. "How was it? Is everything good now?"

"Yes, everything is fine. I think we managed to ward off that rogue dragon running rampant in the forest, so it shouldn't step foot in the kingdom at least."

"Um, father..." Naruto looked up at Minato. "Not all dragons are bad, right?"

"Thats right, son. Not all of them. Only some of them, like the ones who go out of control and attack or kill people for no reason. Thats why we only go after rogue dragons."

"Then... then why do I still have to kill one in order to become king? I don't wanna kill a dragon! I don't want to!" Naruto said furiously. "Isn't it wrong to kill something for something so selfish? You didn't have to kill one and mom didn't either! And grandfather even said they used to serve us in the past. So why..."

Minato sighed and picked up the boy. He carried him to the bed and lied him down. "I know. Back then, there was no such law required until the other kingdoms began to protest, and eventually the court decided it was necessary for this generation to follow the new ways. There was nothing I could do at the time to fight against it before you were born. Thats why I'm trying to pass a law to change that. If all goes well, we'll _never_ have to kill a dragon again unless absolutely necessary. We will only go after dragons who's intent is to harm us."

"You promise?"

"I promise. When you become king, Naruto, your hands will not have to have any blood on them; no blood of people, nor dragons." He said as he tucked him in. "But! Thats only if you go to sleep! Ok?"

"...but I can't sleep. I don't want you to leave again."

"Then take this." Minato took off a gold chain necklace he was wearing and put it around Naruto's neck. Attached to the necklace was an extravagant and beautiful orange amulet with the mark of a dragon coiled around the family's crest engraved on it. "As long as you wear this, Naruto, I'll be there even in your sleep. I'll be right there with you anytime I am away. Ok?" He leaned down and kissed Naruto's forehead. "Because I love you. And this amulet is our family's treasure; it is my love from me, your mother, your grandfather, and everyone else in the kingdom. Remember that if you ever think you have nothing left, you will always have us."

Naruto's eyelids began to grow heavy as he listened to his father's words. He whispered an _'Ok.'_ before finally falling asleep. Minato smiled as he tucked the child in and then stood up silently while turning to Jiraiya and putting a finger on his lips telling him to be quiet.

The adults finally left the room together with Minato silently closing the door, waiting for the soft click to resound before he exhaled. "That boy... you can tell he's just going to get more and more restless as he gets older."

Jiraiya just laughed heartily. "You think so? Isn't he just like you, Minato?"

"Oh hush, old man."

"Hm but... are you sure you want to give _that_ to him? Its still a bit early, isn't it?"

"Its fine." Minato insisted. "With how crazy times have gotten, I'd rather he have it now than later before anything too serious can happen. I had intended to pass it onto him when he became king on his coronation day, but heh... thats another decade from now, isn't it~? I guess you can say I just can't wait to see what kind of person he becomes. Hopefully, he can change the fate of this world to show that not everything is what people make it out to be. Dragons are just like people. They both can be misunderstood."

Jiraiya nodded. "That is true. I too wish we could go back to the days where times were different... but I guess its just time to accept that it wont happen."

"Yeah..." Minato sighed. "For now, for as long as I am alive, all I can do is try to make things easier for Naruto. Right now he's so open minded and accepting, just like his mother. And I'm so worried of what might happen..."

"You have nothing to fear, Minato. Everything will turn out fine. I will look out for him."

Minato smiled at Jiraiya and then exhaled. "Lets get to bed, old man."

With that said, both the king and his father finally turned in for the night, disappearing into the faintly lit corridors of the castle.

 **~:::~**

As the evening continued very late into the night, all was not as peaceful as previously once thought. The moon was lit brilliantly in the sky as smokey grey clouds drifted by and red cinders danced among them, resembling glowing orange stars. Part of the kingdom was burning, people were screaming, and the roars of a fearsome beast sounded off so loudly that it was enough to rattle the walls of surrounding buildings.

A man dressed in regal red and black magician robes ran down the hallway of the castle, with his black hair flowing behind him and razor sharp gauntlets charging with magical energy. He turned a few corners, running past guards who had weapons and swords in hand going the opposite direction to fight the impending doom outside. Finally reaching his destination, the black haired man pushed the door open. "Minato! The dragon, its back! And its attacking the kingdom!"

"Yes, Madara. I know." The king responded, back turned as he faced a mirror. He was dressed in silver armor and donned a large sword with a jeweled handle. A long, orange headband adorned his forward, flowing behind him with the family's crest. His blue eyes seemed to be sharper than they were before as he sighed upon hearing the dragon's roar coming closer to his castle.

"It is the rogue black dragon that inhabits the forest. My king, this dragon has been a constant nuisance upon us for quite some time now. And now that it has actually step foot in our kingdom, you can't simply ignore it any longer! We must take action and destroy it!"

"Yes, I know." Minato turned around to face the man. "I will deal with it. No harm will come to my kingdom or family. It wishes to be rid of me and claim this land as its own. I wont allow it!" He gripped the handle of his sword tighter. "Are you ready? We are going to get rid of this threat once and for all. This will be the last dragon we have to kill."

"Yes, my king." Madara held up his gauntlets, and glowing energy surrounded them. "Lets put an end to this monster's obstruction!"

As they both ran out of the room, a woman's voice called out. "Minato, be safe!"

"I will, Kushina! Look after Naruto!" The king called back as he kept running. He took in a deep breath and prepared himself to face the dragon. His eyes widened when he stepped outside.

No more than several hundred feet from the castle's gate did the dragon stand. The only thing keeping it from getting any closer were the castle's knights and guards desperately trying to hold it off. The dragon roared as its claws came down on one of the warriors, knocking their sword from their hand and then leaning down to bite them in half. Blood rained down from the beast's jaws as it continued to swat and oppose the forces surrounding it. It took in a deep breath and released searing black fire from its mouth, charring the ground beneath it and nearly melting off the armor of the knights within range.

"My king! Magician Madara! Please, we need your help! We can't keep holding it off! Its too powerful!"

Hearing his men call out to him, Minato charged at the dragon with a war cry, clashing his sword with its claws. He swung with all his might, not giving the dragon an inch. He looked to his mage for support. "Madara, water!"

Madara nodded as he held up his hands. He began to utter words as he cast a spell. A blue glyph appeared above the dragon, and then tons water splashed onto it from the glyph, as if the man had summoned the very ocean itself that stood by the edge of the kingdom to his aid.

As the battle waged on, the queen Kushina watched from Naruto's bedroom window, praying that her husband would end the battle quickly and come back home. "Please, Minato... bring us peace." She said, putting her hands together and praying desperately. She ignored the thick, black smoke that hung in the air, and tried to zone out the dragon's roaring and the men screaming. Soon it would all be over.

"...mother?"

Kushina opened her eyes as she turned to see Naruto approaching her. Panicking, she pushed the boy away by his shoulders. "Naruto, get back in bed!"

"Huh? But I can't. I keep hearing loud noises and..." The boy sniffed the air, catching a whiff of the smoke coming from outside. "Mother, whats going on? Where's father?!"

Before she had time to exlpain or come up with an excuse, Naruto had pushed her out of the way and looked outside his bedroom window. His eyes widened in pure shock and disbelief. "F-father...?" He watched as his father's sword was knocked out of his hand and then pinned down to the ground by the dragon. "Father!" Naruto pushed open the window and stepped out onto the balcony. "FATHER!"

"Naruto! Get back inside!" Kushina quickly grabbed her son who immediately began to squirm in her arms.

"No, let me go, mother! Father is... father is going to die!"

"No, he wont! Its ok, Naruto! Your father will be fine! He has Madara with him!"

But the prince only shook his head in protest. "No! Look at that dragon, mother! Its huge! They can't do it alone! I can help! Thats why I've been sword practicing!"

"No, Naruto! You can't!" She held Naruto firmly, until he finally stopped struggling. For a moment, they just stood there in awe, watching the battle continue. Minato desparately shielded himself with his gauntlets, holding back the dragon's mouth and attacking with his own magic while Madara tried to pry it's claw away from him.

"Its... too strong... Minato." Madara said, attempting to use the power of wind to push off some of the dragon's weight.

"Just keep going! If we wear it down enough, it wont have the energy to fight anymore. It may even retreat!"

"I keep telling you, my king! Its too late for that! We have to kill it now!"

Naruto couldn't make out the exchange, but having to watch his father and his mentor suffer while he stood there and did nothing was becoming too much! "We have to do something, mother!" Having shouted that, Naruto bit into his mother's arm hard, making her wince and loosen her grip on him.

"Ouch! N-Naruto!" She didn't have the chance to grab him again as the prince managed to slip right past her, grab his sword and run out the door. "Naruto, DON'T!" She called out, running after him! "Guards!" She shouted for someone, 'anyone' to hear her and stop her son. But all the guards were preoccupied with the fight outside.

With a determined look in his eyes, the young prince made his way outside, carefully running down the castle's steps as he got closer and closer to the scene. Already he was out of breath, but refused to slow down until he got to his father. When he got within range of the fight, the thickness of the smoke was enough to make his breath hitch and he began coughing and squinting his eyes to see through the dense smog. "Ngh... father... father where are you?" He kept trying to navigate his way through the smoke and the war cries, and the clattering of swords against teeth and claws. At one point a guard came barreling back into him. He didn't have the time to dodge him and the guard fell on top of him. "Ngh..." Naruto managed to pull himself from under him. "Are you alright?!"

"...my king... my queen... I'm sorry..."

Naruto stared in horror. The guard's body had been charred by the dragon's flames and smelled of burnt flesh. His body was still so hot from the attack that steam was coming off of him. His helmet had melted into the side of his face, so much so that Naruto couldn't even tell skin from metal. Only his eyeball stuck out as proof that it was in fact the guard's face. Just witnessing the sight of such a grotesque scene was almost enough to make the child feel quesy. But he shook off the nauseous feeling and hurriedly stood to his feet. He couldn't let the same thing happen to his father.

Some of the smoke finally began to clear, and Naruto could finally see the true damage. Tons of injured and dead guards were piled all around him. They'd either been burned to death or hacked to pieces. Some, barely alive, were bleeding out and trying to help the wounded. And when the prince finally looked ahead, he could see his father, still pinned down by the dragon's claw; his gauntlets were damaged to the point that they were dented and barely even protected him anymore. He was completely defenseless.

"Madara... its been fun." He smiled, looking at his mage still trying to do everything he could to distract the dragon. "Look after Naruto and Kushina for me, ok? And the old man, too..." he coughed.

"What are you saying? I'm not letting you die! And if you die, I'm going with you!"

Just as the mage said that, the dragon looked down at Minato with its piercing red eyes. It bared its razor sharp teeth; saliva dripped from its maw. With a roar, its gaping mouth came down on Minato. The king closed his eyes as he awaited death's embrace.

"FATHER!"

 _'...Naruto?!'_ The king opened his eyes. He turned his head to see his son running toward him sword in hand and shouting as he jumped up and pierced his weapon directly into the dragon's eye.

"Naruto! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Madara shouted.

"I'm... not letting... you die! I wont let it happen, father! Remember, you said you'd be with me always! What happened to that?! I'll fight as long as you fight, father! So come on... get up!" Naruto urged as he held on tightly to the sword. The dragon swung its head wildly, growling out in pain. It started to rampage, trying to remove the metal object from its eye.

"Ngh..." Minato sat up, having finally been freed from the dragon's grip. But just as he started to move, he found that he couldn't. _'What?'_ He looked down; one of his legs had been crushed from the weight of the dragon. As the adrenaline began to wear off, he finally realized the severity of the situation. There was nothing he could do. And his son was risking his life to save him. He had failed at trying to keep everyone safe. His duties and commitment as a king, a lover, a father... he realized that they were going to be over. But before he could even think of giving up, Naruto's words echoed in the back of his mind. No. He _couldn't_ give up. He would fight to his last breath. Looking around, he felt the wetness beneath his fingertips from Madara's last attack. It gave him an idea. "Madara..." he uttered.

"What is it, my king?!" Madara knelt beside Minato, lifting his back up gently so that he could sit up. "Your leg... I can heal it. Just hold on." He put a hand out over the man's leg, but Minato grabbed his hand.

"No. It would take too long. Go save Naruto."

"But-"

"Thats an order, Madara! Go get him! I know what I have to do..." Minato looked down and closed his eyes.

"...I understand."

The mage reluctantly set Minato back down and ran off to go save the prince. He could see that Naruto was still just barely hanging on to his training sword. His small and meek body dangled in the air as the dragon violently shook and rampaged around the castle. It finally knocked Naruto off by headbutting into a wall. The impact was enough to throw the prince off, and he ended up hitting the ground hard, dazing him. The dragon looked down at Naruto, and without hesitation brought one of its claws down to crush him.

"No! Naruto!" Using the power of wind, Madara just barely managed to slide beneath the dragon's claw and grab Naruto as the beast stomped on the ground hard. They narrowly managed to avoid death. But now, with both of them being against the wall and most of his magic depleted from the fight, Madara desperately looked around for another chance to escape. But there was none. They were trapped. He held Naruto close to his body, protecting him. Using the last ounce of his strength, he managed to put up a protective barrier around them. He glared at the dragon. "I will not allow you to kill us so easily."

Just then, something shot at the dragon from behind. A blazing, hot ball of red energy. The dragon roared in pain as it turned around to contront the thing that attacked it. It was Minato, propping himself up on his sword as he looked at the dragon. Minato himself had trained in a bit of magic, although it wasn't as strong as Madara's. With a smirk, he looked up at the dragon and smiled. "Come get me, big boy."

When the dragon charged at it, Minato quickly turned around and began to limp away as quickly as he could, using his sword as a crutch. It was a good thing that he had managed to put some distance between himself and the dragon before attacking, but now it was time to put an end to its reign. Minato headed for the hillside behind the castle.

Naruto finally came out of his daze and looked around. Madara's forcefield disappeared and he panted hard, having exhausted all of his magical energy. Naruto crawled from under his protective holding. "Where's father?!" He demanded.

"The... dragon... he's... headed for the.. hillside."

"What?!" Naruto looked toward the direction, but he could see neither his father nor the dragon. "Is he crazy! He'll fall!" The prince began to run toward the hillside.

"Wait!" Madara called out, barely managing to get to his feet and he ran after the boy.

Once Minato had finally gotten to the edge of the hillside, he stopped and turned around to look at the dragon. The dragon was still coming after him; good. He simply stood there and waited. He was using himself as bait. Once the beast had gotten close enough, Minato's eyes glowed and the power of wind blew from behind the dragon harshly like a winter's storm. It was enough to push it right over the edge, with Minato just barely managing to duck beneath it. But the dragon was too smart; one of its claws scrapped into the ground, giving it just enough pause to bite into Minato's uninjured leg as it went sliding down the grassy hill.

"AGH!" Minato screamed out in pain. He desperately tried to grip the grass with his fingertips while also trying to stab his sword into the ground in order to stop himself from sliding.

"Father!" Naruto had just reached the edge of the hill as he watched both his father and the dragon tumbling downward toward the vast, blue ocean. Before he could even take another step, Madara grabbed him from behind and pulled him back.

"Naruto, stop! Or do you want to die as well?!"

"But... but..!"

"Look at your father. He's fighting with everything he has left. His final resolve. He isn't giving up."

Using his last ounce of strength, Minato turned around, took his sword, and ran it through the dragon's head with both of his hands. The beast let out a loud roar of pain and bit down harder. Minato sighed. "So you're taking me with you, huh?" He closed his eyes and smiled. "I'm sorry that there was nothing I could do for you." He gently brought his hand to the dragon's nose and pat it. "See you in hell." The king smiled as his eyes closed and both he and the dragon disappeared from sight as they fell over the side of the cliff. The last thing that could be heard of their battle was a single loud splash.

Naruto, having witnessed the whole thing, began to tear up and dropped to his knees. "Father... no!" He brought his hand to his face and pushed away tears, refusing to let them fall.

Looking onward, Madara sighed. "Stand up, prince."

"Ngh... f-father..."

"I said, STAND UP!" Madara snapped, yanking the boy up. Naruto looked at him and stood in shock, unable to move from the cold, hard glare his mentor was giving him. "What did I tell you before? A prince doesn't cry. A prince doesn't get on his knees for anyone nor for anything other than when he is being crowned. Your father did not kneel before that dragon for a single moment. He stood and fought with all his might. Even when one of his legs were broken. And he did it all for the kingdom."

Naruto listened to the mage speak, tears still pricking at the corners of his blue eyes. "I-I know... I just wished I could have done something."

"Then do what your father couldn't. Hate dragons. Hate what they have done to your family, your kingdom, your home. They are nothing more than monsters who wish to kill for their own satisfaction. Forget what you've heard about in myths and stories. They are not our allies anymore. They are our pure, bloodthirsty, enemies. And we need to remember that. There is nothing that can change that. Remember: every dragon is a bad dragon. And any good dragon is a dragon with a motive."

"..."

"Come. Let me return you to bed and your mother. You have probably worried her sick."

With that, Naruto silently held Madara's hand and followed him back inside of the castle. His mother greeted him with a hug, tears in her eyes and she was happy to see that he was safe. He was then cleaned up and put back to bed by his grandfather while his mother and Madara assessed the damage and tended to the wounded. The rest of the fires were finally put out, the wind from the long night carried away the smoke, and finally there was silence yet again.

Naruto stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, thinking of his father's fight and the dragon that had attacked. Everything that happened almost didn't seem real and the young prince prayed to himself that when he woke up in the morning, it would all be nothing more than a bad dream. He finally, truly went to sleep that night.

Madara stood outside of Naruto's doorway for a while, listening to make sure that everything was situated. After Jiraiya walked out, Madara left with a sigh and headed to his own bedroom chambers. He was greeted by a guard standing at attention by his doorway.

"Turning in for the night, sir? What about your wounds?"

"I will be fine. I can heal on my own."

"...and as for Naruto? What shall we do now that the king has passed?"

"The only thing we can do: wait for his decision. It is Naruto's choice whether or not this kingdom moves forward. The king stated that if something happened resulting in his death, Naruto would make the choice whether or not we got rid of the pact between ourselves and dragons when he becomes king."

"I see..." The guard sighed.

"Worry not. A decade is more than enough time for him to make his decision." He smiled as he walked into his room. "And if not, I will push him toward that decision." Nothing else was said as the mage disappeared behind the door, leaving the corridors quiet as Konoha Kingdom mourned over the loss of their king.

* * *

- _Thank you for reading! Please leave me any feedback or comments on what you think about the story so far!_


	2. Chapter 2

**~:** ✞ **:~**

 _Thick smoke hung in the air, the sound of metal clashing hammered through his ears, and the smell of blood wafted across his nostrils. Gore, screaming, and chaos everywhere. All around him. He couldn't escape it. He couldn't run from it. He couldn't hide from it. 'Save me! Help me! My prince, please!' The voices called out to him. Bloody hands were reaching out toward him, coming from all angles. The prince kept backing away, panicking._

 _"I-I can't! I can't save you! I'm sorry!" He cried. He put his hands on his ears, trying to block out the chanting and pleas for help. The crying and screaming and calls of the people from his kingdom. The fires that kept blazing. The smoke that was smothering him. All of the hands suddenly grabbed him and began pulling him down to the ground. "L-let go!" He said, trying to push the hands away from him, but they brought him to his knees and pinned him in place. They held his arms back as their fingers clawed into his skin. It was then they he was met with a pair of fearsome red eyes, glowing with malice and dark intent. The dragon growled, staring deep into Naruto's soul._

 _"Naruto." A voice called out to him, and the prince turned to see what it was. His entire body shook. It was the image of his father, drenched in water, seaweed hanging from his broken armor, the left half of his face burned off as an eel slithered from the inside of his eye socket into the darkness surrounding them. "Why are you on your knees? Are you giving up?"_

 _"N-no... no, father!" Naruto tried to stand, but the hands continued to hold him down. He watched as Minato turned around, and slowly began to walk off, disappearing into the eternal abyss of his mind. "Father! Father, wait! Please come back! Don't go! FATHER!"_

"My prince!" The voice of someone else startled Naruto awake as the prince's eyes opened and he jolted upright in his bed, breathing hard and sweating profusely from the nightmare he just had. His body shook, remembering the grotesque imagery that was just in his mind mere seconds ago; he felt like he could still _feel_ the hands holding onto him with their fingernails digging into him. It was enough to make him involuntarily shudder.

"My prince? Are you alright?" The voice of a woman asked, wiping Naruto's forehead with a towel. "You were tossing and turning in your bed, and whimpering. Might you be having a bad dream?"

Naruto exhaled, his breath still shaky. "Yes... a _really_ bad dream." He said whilst running a hand through his sweaty, blonde hair.

"I see." The woman said. "You used to get bad dreams all the time when you were a child. Remember? You'd refuse to go to bed."

"Yeah. And then I'd nag gramps to tell me a story. And then I'd still stay awake~" He chuckled.

"Mm, and then the queen would scold you!"

"Haha! Yes, mother always got mad at me for doing things like that." Naruto then paused for a moment before continuing to speak. "Ah... how is mother?"

"The queen is fine. Why do you ask?"

"Just making sure. I had so many duties to do this week that I've barely had the time to spend with her. But anyway..." Naruto looked at the servant. "You can go now. Thank you for waking me." He couldn't be grateful enough actually.

"Very well, my prince." The woman bowed her head before leaving the prince alone in his room.

Once he heard the door close, Naruto fell back on his overly large, king sized bed. He stared up at the silk canopy that was draped above him, glistening faintly in the sunlight that shone from his window; the servant must have opened it for him. He could hear the flames flickering in the background from the fireplace, keeping his room a modest temperature. He took in a deep breath and exhaled, and as he did, attempted to recall the dream he had. The images started to flicker back into his mind, and the glimpse of a single pair of bloodred eyes was enough to make the prince grit his teeth. Even in his sleep, those wretched beings, those _dragons_ still haunted him. And to think that it was only ten years ago that one of them had claimed the life of the king. The day nor the memory would _never_ leave Naruto's mind; it had been burned into his very being. And he had spent every single day since that time training and focusing his magic skills, so that when the day came, he could finally slay his first dragon and become king.

"That day can't come soon enough..." He muttered to himself. Remembering his father's words, Naruto clutched the amulet that he wore around his neck, holding it firmly in his hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed it lightly. _'I'll do my best for you again today, father. I'll make sure every dragon here regrets the day you died.'_

As he closed his eyes and thought of all the things he needed to do today: sword practice, magic training, and his _princely duties_ , he couldn't help but want to be a kid again. Bouncing on his grandfather's knee, listening to him tell stories about kingdoms, and magic, and princesses (mostly princesses), and refusing to go to sleep. Now that nearly a decade had passed, Naruto felt like he couldn't get _enough_ sleep.

After lying down a while longer, the prince finally got out of bed. He yawned and stretched, smiling at the nice tingling sensation that rolled down his back in time with his bones cracking and the tightness of his muscles loosening. He rubbed his azure blue eyes, which were still a bit hazy from sleep, and scratched his head. His hair was a mess and a gross stickiness clung to his skin from sweating earlier. He supposed he _could_ take a bath but why bother. Its mid winter and he'd just end up being cold again. So he decided to skip it and gathered his royal garments.

He stood in front of a mirror as he began to dress, sliding on a white silk, button down shirt with long sleeves. A velvet orange top went over the shirt, with white pants to match. He then pinned on a red cape with fur trimmed around on it, donned his gloves, combed his hair, and topped it off with a golden crown. Once he was done, he gave himself a look over, nodded, and smiled. He looked quite befitting of what a prince _should_ look like. He then wandered over to his nightstand and took the lid off of a miniature glass chest, and grabbed a few mint leaves from inside of it. He plopped them into his mouth and winced a bit as he chewed on them, sucking the strong, bitter juices from the leaves and sloshing it around his mouth to freshen his breath before swallowing. Afterwards, he donned his sword and sheath leaning against the wall and then proceeded to exit his bedroom.

"Good morning, my prince." A guard standing just outside the door greeted and bowed.

"Good morning. Is my breakfast ready?"

"Yes. It has been prepared for you in the dining hall."

Naruto nodded as he continued onward, walking down two flights of stairs and then going down another long corridor, giving little nods to other guards that greeted him as he walked by them. Eventually he came upon large double doors that led into the royal dining hall. Before he could open them, the sound of glass shattering from the other side was heard. He sighed.

"Sakura!" A female servant yelled. "Try to be more careful with how you handle the glasses!"

"Mnn.." A meek voice responded.

"Hmph. You should know by now, that you are to always hold wine glasses with all of your fingers beneath the glass, and have your ring and middle fingers squeezing the stem between them! Never hold them by the stem alone!"

"Y-yes..." The girl being lectured sighed.

"Sakura..." Madara said with a stern voice as he entered the dining room. "Your skills as a servant are in poor taste. Haven't you learned anything at all from the past three years you have been here?"

"..." The girl said nothing as she got a wet rag and started to gather the glass pieces carefully.

"Heheh." The mage chuckled as he sat down and gingerly sipped the glass of wine by his plate. "Though, I suppose you dragons can only do so much. After all, the only good things you are capable of doing is _destroying_."

Hearing those words, Sakura briefly lost her temper for a moment and curled her fingers into the rag she was using to clean up the mess. In the process, she managed to cut one of her fingers on a sharp piece of glass and winced. As she brought her hand up to her face to examine the wound, a shadow leaned over her.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked, extending his hand out to her.

"My prince, do not dirty your hands. Please sit down and eat." The servant insisted.

Naruto ignored them and helped the young girl up. The sound of chains rattling echoed faintly in the room as she stood back to her feet. The girl's pink hair was nicely groomed and kept to a shoulder length with a red bow placed atop her head, while the black maid dress she wore was neatly ironed. Her timid mint green eyes were always downtrodden, even when she rarely spoke. But perhaps the thing that stood out the most, were her unusually long, pointed fingernails that resembled claws and the pair of pink and cream feathered wings folded and chained together behind her back. Sakura was actually a dragon slave, given to Naruto from another kingdom three years ago as part of a _gift exchange_ between the two countries. The state she came in was horrible; she looked no more than eleven or twelve years of age. The only clothes she wore was a ragged, torn white gown. She was barefoot and her hair was overgrown; there were various bruises and red marks all over her pale white skin. They were apart of her _training_. She was adorned with magic shackles connected to her wrists and ankles that prevented her from transforming into a dragon and her wings were also chained with a protective seal so that she could not fly away. But perhaps the worst part of all was the fact that they hadn't even been feeding her. Since dragons can go a long time without food, they figured it was easier to save on rations by not giving her any, and she was as thin as a skeleton. They only gave her food as a _reward_.

She was originally given to the prince to be his first dragon to slay, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl, and decided against having her killed much to the court's dismay. When Naruto first tried to guide her around the castle, she passed out from exhaustion in his arms. He ordered that she work as a servant in the castle instead and be given proper care. Even though she was a dragon, the way she looked in that miserable state was _human_ to Naruto. How can one simply treat a little girl, a _child_ like that? Naruto almost saw himself as a child in her helpless, pathetic state. And just what would be the point of killing a dragon that was already on the verge of death? There would be no reward for that; only the chance to say that you killed one. The prince did have an ounce of regret for deciding to care for her though. Because for now all he could do was pretend to be nice to her until his coronation day. And then, Sakura would have to be killed. Well, he supposed it was the least he could do, and that the dragoness should feel grateful for getting to have the small amount of time she did to stay alive.

After tending to her wound, Sakura finished cleaning up the rest of the mess and bowed to Naruto, leaving him alone for the remainder of his breakfast. The prince sighed as he watched her go, and finally sat down at the table. He picked up his fork and cut into a thick piece of toast. After he took a bite, Naruto looked at Madara. "Have any dragons been found yet?" He asked.

"No, my prince. Not yet." Madara spoke, cutting into the hunk of meat on his plate. "The frigid winter we have had this year has made finding dragons rather difficult, since most have hidden themselves away deeper into the forest or migrated elsewhere due to the cold. And we can only go so deep into the forest due to the magic that protects it, not to mention the other dangers that lurk within. That and..." The mage stopped speaking as a frown appeared on his face. "The rogue dragon, Sasuke, has made it damn near impossible to safely find and capture dragons."

Naruto's own brows furrowed. _'Sasuke.'_ The blonde gritted his teeth. A couple of years after the king was killed, another dragon suddenly started to attack, scaring off any hunters or intruders that dared to enter its territory. It was a malevolent dragon that had a roar unlike any other; a roar that invoked fear into anyone that heard it. Naruto had never seen the dragon himself, but there were many rumors about it. Its eyes were said to freeze even the bravest of men in their tracks. Its claws were rumored to be sharp enough to slice through steel. And the flames that came from its mouth... never went out. Any person scorched by its fire would burn to death until they were nothing but a pile of ash. And its hide was said to be as pitch black as the night sky. But perhaps the most interesting thing about this dragon, was the fact that it _never_ left the forest. Not once had it ever even dared to step foot on or near the kingdom grounds. It was almost as if it were taunting everyone, daring them to come after it. Or possibly even scaring off would be dragon hunters from trying to find the remainder of the dragons. And it was doing a pretty damn good job. If you even strayed off the path, you would hear its roar as a warning. It became such a nuisance that a large bounty had been placed on its head for anyone who could kill it. But the dragon was smart. It's lair was never in the same place for long. It _knew_ it was being hunted, and it mocked every single person that tried to find it.

"Sneaky bastard..." Naruto muttered under his breath.

"Naruto, language." Kushina warned from across the table.

"Sorry, mother. Its just... that dragon Sasuke. It really pisses me off. Its making a mockery of my kingdom. It is preventing us from finding the other dragons, it clearly hates humans, yet it would rather hide than fight. It is not only a disgrace but a coward. If only I could have its head." The prince huffed.

"I understand your frustrations, my prince. We are trying everything we can to get rid of that dragon. But its too smart. It has even learned to avoid our traps. And many times it has interrupted trades between our kingdom and others. It truly is a nuisance. We may just have to end up going to another country to find a dragon for you to kill."

"Oh come now, Madara. It is merely protecting its territory like any other dragon." Kushina said.

"Well, whether or not it is doing it for its own purposes or to make us look like fools will no longer matter soon. Isn't that right, my prince?"

"Yes." Naruto nodded. "It knows of the pact between us and dragons I'm sure. But that wont protect it for long. Thats why I've made my decision..."

"I see. Good." Madara smiled. "Then all you need to do is look forward to your coronation day this year. Until then, I suppose you'll have more than enough time to practice your magic skills now that you have nothing to think about."

At that, Naruto sunk in his chair. "Oh come on!" He griped. "I can't put up with another one of your lessons today! I keep telling you, magic's not my strong point!"

"Then I will _make_ it your strong point! Your father was excellent at harnessing the element of wind. But you can barely do enough to make a breeze blow. And don't even get me started on your fire power. You can't even light a candle!" He chided.

"Ugh! Yes I can! I lit a candle that one time!"

"Yes. And you nearly burned all of my garden in the process." Kushina said, bringing a napkin to one of her eyes as she pretended to weep.

"Th-that was an accident, mother!" Naruto responded in a slight panic, not wanting his mother to feel bad. "But you see? I told you I'm no good at it!"

"Like I previously stated, then I will _make_ you good at it. Now eat up. You are going to need all of your strength this afternoon." With that, Madara finished his breakfast and stood from the table to excuse himself. Kushina followed soon after while Naruto just continued to sit there and eat slowly, hoping to stall as much as he could before he finally and reluctantly got up.

After fulfilling his morning duties, the rest of the prince's day consisted of brutal training from his mentor in which he had to counter fireballs being thrown at him with the power of wind. And then, Naruto had to create his own fireballs to cancel out Madara's. Ultimately, he failed and only succeeded in setting himself on fire and ran around the courtyard like an idiot. The mage just shook his head, put the prince out by drenching him with water magic, and gave up for the day. Naruto pathetically sulked as he walked down the hallways in wet clothing. The day couldn't be any worse.

 _'Seriously...'_ Naruto sighed as his boots made wet, squishy noises as he stepped into his bedroom. He heard water running and steam coming from the bathroom. There was a tray of hot tea on a cart left there in the middle of the room; someone must have brought it for him to warm up before getting in the bath. He walked over to the cart, and picked up the petite teacup. He took a whiff of the hot beverage; it had a sweet, tantalizing aroma. But when he sipped it, the tea itself was bitter and disgusting. He held the drink in his mouth, debating on whether or not he should spit it out. Before he had the choice to make the decision, someone walked out of the bathroom and he swallowed it. He almost wanted to gag.

"My prince, your bath is drawn." The person who stepped out was Sakura. Her head was down, looking at the floor as she lowly spoke. For low ranking servants and slaves, their eyes were _never_ allowed to meet with the gaze of those who had nobility or it was taken as a sign of rebellion and disrespect. Naruto honestly hated the belief, and didn't understand the point behind it. After all, wasn't it _harder_ to understand someone or their motives when you couldn't even see their face?

Naruto walked over to the pink haired dragoness, and lifted her chin up. He smiled at her and said, "Thank you." He gave her a single pat on the head.

The dragoness was always confused when Naruto did this. She never once questioned it or why Naruto treated her so kindly. Wasn't he a prince and she nothing more than a lowly slave? She was always taught to be nothing more than an item of convenience, yet with this prince, she felt the opposite. A small smile creased her lips. "Please enjoy." She started heading for the door.

"Oh, Sakura..." He called out.

"Y-yes?" She said, quickly turning around.

"Just out of curiosity... who made that tea?"

"The queen did, your highness."

"Oh." A feeling of dread went through Naruto's body as he struggled to not make a disgusted look. "I see." His mother loved gardening and making different types of teas with her flowers and herbs. She even expressed wanting to make her very own unique teas and distribute them to different countries. Which would be fine, if she weren't absolutely _terrible_ at it. Naruto seriously struggled to think of how someone could use honey and sugar as ingredients and still make something taste so bitter. It was astounding. Just as he opted to have the tea poured out, he had a better idea in mind.

"Hey Sakura, I'm not thirsty. So you can go ahead and give this tea to Madara instead. Tell him someone else made it. Ok?"

"As you wish." She said, taking the cart and rolling it out of the room with a small look of amusement on her face.

A mischievous grin crept over Naruto's lips as he imagined the look on Madara's face as soon as the tea hit his tongue. _'Heheh, sweet revenge~'_ With that, Naruto finally stripped himself of his wet clothes and proceeded to get in the bath. The hot water was relaxing to him; it was just on the verge of almost being too hot but that was just how the blonde liked it. He sunk further into the inviting warmth, allowing his tender muscles to relax and his mind to unwind. He honestly couldn't wait for this cold winter to be over. The sooner spring came, the quicker it would warm back up and he could get his hands on a dragon, then celebrate his coronation day and become a king. Yeah. That was all he needed to think about.

In the midst of his relaxation, a knock sounded at his bedroom door. He groaned. Couldn't he have just five minutes of peace? "What?!" He shouted.

"Very sorry to disturb you. I know you have had a long day, my prince." A guard spoke. "I was told by Madara to remind you of your patrol duties tonight. Please do not forget again."

Naruto sighed. "Right. Ok." He said. He _really_ didn't feel like patrolling. He'd only _just_ started to relax after a long day. He started to regret not sleeping in, then he wouldn't be feeling this tired. And now it only felt like he was being further punished by having to go out into the cold and literally look at nothing to make sure everything was safe. _'How did dad deal with this every night?'_ He huffed. Naruto decided to forget about it for the time being, and stayed in the bath for about an hour.

Once the water began to cool off, Naruto opened his eyes. He had dozed off. Reluctantly, he drained the water from the bath and got out. He dried himself off quickly, combed his hair, and then got dressed. He put on his normal attire, slipped on a thick fur coat, and donned his sword. It was time to patrol.

He let his mother and grandfather know that he would be heading out, with both of them telling him to be safe. The castle's gate was then opened, and Naruto headed outside. There were flecks of snow fluttering in the sky as a gentle breeze carried them; the way they looked almost made them blend in with the stars themselves. As he briskly walked among the castle's pathway leading toward the city, he drug his fingertips along the side of the concrete walls. He remembered when his father used to carry him on top of his shoulders, and he would run all the way down the path until they reached the kingdom. And then he would set him down and buy him some fried mutton on a stick. They were fond memories. Memories Naruto often wished he could forget.

As the prince walked through the city, the lights inside of buildings and homes began to turn off. A few people who were still out would bow their heads to Naruto with a "Good night, my prince." He greeted each person he came across with a nod until he reached the southern part of the kingdom where the entrance lied. There were two guards standing at attention there. They both looked at the prince as he approached them.

"What are your reports?"

"Nothing to report, my prince. Everything is fine thus far. There have been no sightings nor sounds of any dragons. The forest also appears to be calm tonight. I think we can rest easy."

"Hm..." Naruto listened to the guard's words. Those words alone should have been more than enough for the prince to just say 'Ok.' and leave. But he knew that if he returned back home too quickly, Madara would scold him for not doing his duties properly. "Alright. Thank you for the report. I will go ahead and do a perimeter check of the kingdom border."

"Then allow us to escort you, my prince."

"No need." Naruto said, holding up his hand to them. "Its not like I actually intend on going into the forest. I'm just going to walk along the wall and then I will be back." He stepped foot outside of the kingdom entrance; the concrete pavement turned into dirt as he did so. The path ahead of him lead into the forest surrounding most of their kingdom. It was known as Jofuku Forest, which in ancient times meant ' _Forest of the Lost_ '. And it certainly had a fitting name. Anyone who stepped foot in this forest that had strayed off the path and didn't know the way back, would quickly find themselves lost. The forest would also play tricks on people and unsuspecting travelers, making it look like they were going in circles for days, when in reality if they just kept heading straight they would eventually find their way out of the illusion and reach their destination. But if they gave into the forest's power, they would lose their sanity and starve. It was how the forest protected itself, and the deeper you went, the stronger and more dangerous the obstacles you would come across. Only those with strong wills and minds were strong enough to resist its magic. But the dragons of Konoha also used this to their advantage, and would hide from hunters by utilizing the forest's unique ability. This along with many other factors, was why it was so hard to find dragons in this country. They were smart enough to use everything humans tried to throw at them, and the people berated themselves for it. Because now they couldn't even find the very things they wanted to be rid of.

Naruto grunted and kicked a pile of snow as he trekked along the outer walls. Just the thought alone was frustrating. He began to think of just burning the whole thing down once winter ended and spring came. Then there wouldn't be a place for the dragons to hide anymore. Or maybe he would send an entire rebellion of bounty hunters into the forest to track down every single dragon there was, even if it meant they had to cut down each tree in their way. Then what would those beasts do? Where would they run? Would they all finally be cornered? And would justice finally be served?

 _'Just a little longer...'_ The prince thought to himself. In due time, he would get rid of the pact, and then do whatever he wanted. He'd see to it that no dragon was allowed to exist anymore. He would join fighters of every kingdom and hunt the beasts down. And then, only then, would there be eternal peace. Having that thought to himself was enough to make Naruto turn on his heel and start heading back into the kingdom. He was done for the night. As his footsteps crunched against the snow, the air around him grew eerily quiet. The prince stopped and listened. He remembered his grandfather's words: _'When the forest is quiet, you listen. Its a sign that something is wrong.'_ Instinctively, Naruto took out his sword and faced the endless abyss of trees that stood just several feet away from him; it was almost as if the forest was staring back at him. He scanned the perimeter, but all he could see was snow and darkness, with the soft moonlight bouncing off the branches overhead and creating sinister looking shadows on the ground.

The prince held firm, listening carefully to the sounds of the wilderness: the wind, an owl, the faint trickle of water. And then... _'Crunch.'_ A single footstep gave it away. Naruto got into a defensive stance. Anything could jump out at him; a giant bug, wolves, or even a vine from a man-eating plant. This forest was unpredictable and teaming with danger. This was why everyone avoided it unless there was a reason to enter it or leave the kingdom.

"Who's there?!" Naruto shouted, hoping to scare off whatever might be stalking him. He wanted it to know that he was aware of their presence, and that it might dissuade them from attacking. But what he got in response was the _opposite_ of what he wanted.

"Hmph. So you're not as stupid as I thought."

The sudden voice out of nowhere was enough to make the prince jolt. "Wh-what?" The blonde frantically looked around, trying to scan through the dense darkness of the trees and the night. His eyes immediately stopped on a tall, dark figure facing him. He could hear heavy breathing as they took another step forward; revealing a giant claw in the moonlight. It was, "A dragon?!" Naruto gasped.

"Yeah. What else would I be~?" The dragon mocked as it leaned forward, finally showing some of its form as it stepped into the clearing between the kingdom's walls and the forest. There were two, large white horns protruding from the top of its head with blue-ish black spikes going from the tip of its snout to its neck; they almost resembled thorns with how prickly they looked. The rest of the dragon's body was pitch black, and Naruto could make out no other features, almost as if its very being were draped in shadow. But it had sinister yellow eyes with sharp black pupils that seemed to peer right into the prince's soul.

Thats when Naruto noticed; this wasn't just _any_ dragon. It was the most feared dragon in the land. The dragon known to kill any human it came across and then disappear without a trace. The dragon that had become a nuisance to the kingdom for almost a decade. The horrific black dragon of shadow, Sasuke. The prince could hardly believe his eyes, and almost thought that the forest itself were playing tricks on him.

"I'm glad I was able to finally find you today. Because..." The dragon further stepped out and growled. "I'm taking you with me."

When Naruto finally processed the beast's words, he snapped back into reality and glared the dragon down. He aimed his sword at it. "Like hell!" He still couldn't believe that he had run into a dragon tonight of all nights, and it was giving the prince goosebumps. But not of fear; of excitement. He would be able to kill his first dragon. And then be heralded for his great deed. He smiled. _'This day couldn't be any better.'_

"Oh? Well too bad. You're coming with me whether you like it or not. And if I have to force you..." The dragon leaned down and growled. "I will."

But the prince only chuckled, finding Sasuke's words amusing. Without hesitating, he swung his sword at the beast. "Tonight you die!"

However the dragon was too quick for Naruto, and ever so slightly moved out of the way, letting out an amused _'Hmph.'_ as it did so. "Your movements are way too slow."

"Grr! Then hold still and I'll be able to end this quickly!" Naruto turned around and took another swing at the dragon. But once again, he missed. He continued to assault the dragon with endless swings and thrusts of his blade, desperately trying to sink even just the tip of his sword into the dragon's flesh. But the beast was far more nimble than the prince had expected.

The dragon jumped back and sighed. "Tch. If you keep making this much noise, you're going to draw attention."

"Yeah, thats the point! I want everyone to see me kill you!"

"Ugh. You're so annoying." And Sasuke once again avoided Naruto's blade as he took an angry swing at him. The dragon then tripped the prince up with its tail, then pinned the blond down with his right fore-claw. "If this was all it took for me to get you down, then its not going to take much to kill you."

Naruto growled, struggling underneath the dragon's foot. "Get off of me you beast!" He took hold of his sword again but Sasuke stepped on his arm.

"Now what?" The dragon said, clearly mocking the helpless prince. He seemed to be having way more fun in belittling Naruto's inability to fight him more than anything. He watched and listened as the blonde struggled to break free from his grip and flung a flurry of swears at him. It was then that the dragon spoke again. "Listen. I am not going to kill you."

"Ngh! L-let me go! You motherfucking-"

"But we can't talk here." The dragon opened its mouth and leaned down toward Naruto.

Thinking he was going to die, Naruto braced himself as the last thing he saw were teeth closing down over him. _'No! Not yet!'_ ...but that was all he felt. _'...what?'_ Surely he was dead right? He _did_ die... right? The sounds of footsteps trudging through snow hit his ears. When the blonde opened his eyes, he realized he was hanging by his cape, no, _being carried_ by his cape by... He looked up and was in complete shock. _The dragon?!_

"What... what are you doing?! Put me down!" The prince demanded. He tried to struggle as best he could, but it was hopeless. A lot of dark thoughts then went through his mind as he realized the dragon was carrying him deeper into the forest. Was he taking him to his lair to be eaten? Or perhaps the dragon was going to bury him under six feet of snow to stash away for the winter? Or even worse... taken to its nest and fed to a bunch of babies who were going to rip him apart! Either way, Naruto could only see a grim outlook. And he realized that he wasn't going to allow himself to die. He bought his hands up, feeling for the side of the dragon's mouth, and then began to heat up his hand.

"What are you doing?"

"Burning you so you'll let me go."

"You're going to use fire on a dragon? Are you really _that_ stupid?"

"Tch..." Naruto gritted his teeth. Well he supposed the beast had a point. What sense would it make to use fire on something who breathes it for a living. _'Ugh! Madara, teach me something useful already!'_

In the end, Naruto had no choice but to allow the dragon to carry him towards his fate. He began to think back on everything he had done up to this point. The only thing he regretted was hating his mother's tea and giving it to Madara. Now he wished he had drunk it all instead of letting it go to waste. At least it would have been the last good thing he would have done, and it would have been a better way to die too! Eventually, Naruto could make out a snow covered cave ahead. This was it. This was where his life ended. He closed his eyes. _'I'm coming to meet you, father.'_

"There. We're here now." The dragon said as he dropped Naruto face down on the hard cave floor.

"Ow! What the fuck?!" The blonde swore as he sat up and rubbed his face. He then looked over his shoulder to see the dragon blocking the cave entrance. While the prince was somewhat grateful he was keeping the cold, bitter wind from entering, he was still confused as to what was happening. "...alright, dragon. You have taken me from my kingdom. You have brought me into this forest where I'll surely never find my way back out. What are you going to do with me now?"

"Hmph." The dragon snorted. It opened its mouth and shot a red fireball at a pile of wood in the middle of the cave floor, illuminating the darkness around them. "You know, if you were this compliant before, things would have been easier."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, shifting a little closer to the fire to get warm. He wasn't sure if this was some kind of weird dragon hospitality or not, but he'd be damned if he froze to death out here. That would probably be more humiliating than actually being killed by the dragon itself.

"I mean, that unless you listen very carefully to what I am about to tell you, you are going to die."

"Well, I mean..." Naruto just gave the dragon an unamused look. "I certainly couldn't tell."

"This isn't the time for jokes!" The dragon snarled, its voice taking on a deeper and more serious tone. "You are going to die."

"Alright. And?"

"No, you misunderstand. I am not the one who is going to kill you." The dragon leaned forward. "Your kingdom is."

It took a moment for the dragon's words to process before Naruto gave a response. "...Come again?"

"On the day of your coronation, you are going to be executed."


	3. Chapter 3

**~:** ✞ **:~**

Naruto stood dumbfounded in the cave as he tried to process the dragon's words. He was going to be killed? By his kingdom? On coronation day? It sounded just as unbelievable as it did suspicious. And the blonde was having a hard time trying to even put together why any of it would make sense if it _were_ true.

"Yeah right!" The prince said, standing up in the cave and glaring at the dragon. "Why the hell would my kingdom be trying to kill me? I have not committed any kind of treason nor have given them a single reason to want me overthrown."

"It is because of the pact that the kingdom has with dragons."

"The pact?" Naruto almost wanted to laugh when Sasuke brought that up. "You poor, naive beast. I'm getting rid of the pact! And with it, the life of you and all dragons!"

"That doesn't matter!" Sasuke growled as he stood up. He leaned downward, bringing his face as close as Naruto would allow so that the prince could see that he was serious. "Why do you think no other royal families that served dragons exist anymore? Because they were all executed in fear that they might be conspiring with dragons. Its nothing but a countermeasure to make sure that everything goes how the nation wants it to." His eyes then narrowed. "Why do you think your father was allowed to die so easily?"

At that, something ignited within the prince. His azure eyes sharpened, and a heat of rage surrounded him. "What did you say about my father, dragon?"

"I'm saying that if your kingdom really cared about the loss of the king, they would have done all they could to prevent the attack. But, hmph. I guess then they would have to deal with having petty creatures like us around, huh? And you humans think you are any different."

Just as Sasuke finished his sentence, he winced as he felt an angry fist punch him directly in the middle of the snout. It stung at first, but he could feel the impact ricochet all the way up to his head. _'Shit. That actually hurt.'_ He didn't think that this prince, a mere human, could make him feel such pain. "You..." the dragon growled. "Are really starting to piss me off."

Naruto said nothing as he kept his fist connected with the dragon's snout. His kingdom wants him dead? They didn't care about his father? They wanted to go under some new rule? Bullshit! It was all bullshit and Naruto refused to believe it! No, he _wouldn't_ believe it. He would never believe anything a dragon had to say. He remembered Madara's words: _"Every dragon is a bad dragon. And any good dragon is a dragon with a motive."_

"...tell me something." He spoke.

"What? You still don't believe me?"

"No. I don't. Not even for a second. But..." Naruto gritted his teeth and looked up at the dragon, connecting his blue eyes to yellow. "Why are you telling me this? And how exactly do you even know this to be true? Why should I believe a _monster_ like you?!"

"Tch..." The dragon moved away and sighed. "You're really going to make me have to spell it out? Don't act like you don't know why. Or do you humans just forget everything when it is convenient to you?"

"..." The prince was silent as he stared down the dragon, waiting for a response.

Realizing the only way to get through to this hard headed prince was just by answering his questions rather than him just listening, Sasuke shook his head as he began to speak. "It was some time ago, while I was patrolling my territory. I had run into those annoying guards from the kingdom, camping out in the middle of the woods." The dragon paced a bit as he continued. "They were all talking among themselves; it was just after the sun had set and nightfall began. Curious, I attempted to listen in, thinking that maybe they were strategising for a hunt or something. But no. This was something completely different..." Sasuke stared up at the ceiling as he began to recall the night.

 **~:::~**

 _The sky began to fade from a golden orange into a dark blue as the night settled in; not even the moon had shone yet as thick clouds drifted across the land, making the forest look even more ominous and foreboding. As the dragon walked about the forest, the environment around him slowly grew quieter and the distant sounds of voices made its way to his ears. The dragon stopped, and looked in the direction he heard the voices coming from, tilting his head curiously. There seriously weren't a group of people out here in the middle of the afternoon, in the middle of a legendary forest of bad luck, just "talking" was there?_

 _As Sasuke approached the mild chatter, he used the darkness around him to keep his presence concealed, keeping his wings folded flat against his back, hunching over to avoid trees and branches getting caught by his horns, and taking one step at a time to make sure that each one was as quiet as a butterfly's wings. As he got closer, a glow of orange illuminated the area around it. He stopped several feet from where the men were gathered around a fire. He expected them to be travelers or hunters camping out for the night. But upon closer inspection, the men were all wearing armor with the kingdom's crest on it. They seemed to be having some sort of meeting. But why here? Sasuke listened in._

 _"So its been decided then. On the day of the prince's coronation, he'll be killed, and this country will be ours to rule and conquer!"_

 _The men cheered before another knight spoke up. "The king was a fool after all! He so desperately wanted to protect dragons. Did he completely forget about what happened to his mother?"_

 _"Ah yes, the late queen. How could anyone forget that. It should have been more than enough to change his mind, but that fool, Minato... he was as stubborn as a mule. But just think, if he hadn't loved the heinous creatures so much, it would have been harder to kill him and sway his son's mind. Letting in that rogue dragon was a piece of cake. I just feel sorry for our comrades at the castle who weren't let in on the situation."_

 _"Ah, yes." One of the knights sighed, stroking their beard. "But it was a noble and very necessary sacrifice. Besides, they were all too dedicated to serving the royal family. We don't need people like that who's minds cannot be easily swayed. Now all we have left is the queen, the late king, and that pathetic prince. It shouldn't be too hard to get rid of them. The old man is just about ready to kick the bucket anyway. For now, we will just have to bide our time and-"_

 _Suddenly one of the knight's guard dogs stood up and began to bark in Sasuke's direction. The direction of the wind had shifted and it caught on to the dragon's scent. "Shit!" The dragon made haste back into the forest._

 _"Who's there?! An intruder? A spy?!" One of the knights yelled, following the sound of the dragon's footsteps. They lit a torch and then hurled it forward. The path it was thrown was illuminated and the knight could just barely make out a long, black tail disappearing into the darkness. "Its a dragon! After it, men!"_

 _Sasuke could hear the dogs catching up to him. Once he managed to make it to a clearing, he spread his wings, and took flight into the sky, narrowly avoiding and dodging arrows that were being shot at him. The last thing he heard were angry swears echoing through the wind._

 **~:::~**

"...after that, I never saw those men again. It seemed that ever since my appearance, they quit coming into the forest. They started a rumor about me; that I was a rogue black dragon who came out of nowhere and attacked them. But it was the opposite." Sasuke looked at Naruto. "I'm sure they only started that rumor, to use me as bait. So that they could get more people on their side. Or who knows. Maybe it was to even try to silence me should I ever get the idea to tell anyone what I heard that night." He stared at the blonde as he went quiet after that.

Naruto listened carefully to the dragon's tale. He picked apart each sentence in his mind, each tiny little description that the beast made, trying to decipher a way that the dragon could just be using pretty, well organized words to trick him. But, the more Naruto thought about it, the more it suddenly made sense as to why everyone in the kingdom wanted Sasuke dead. It was true that after the death of his father, things were quiet until the dragon suddenly began to _'attack for no reason'_. Naruto had to wonder if that was when they started to conspire. It made sense but... no. There was just no way, right? There wasn't a way in hell that they were _framing_ a dragon? Or could it be that Sasuke was playing him for a fool?

"...how do I know that you aren't just making this up to save face? How do I know that _you_ weren't the one secretly planning to kill me?" Naruto asked. No matter how believable the dragon made everything sound, the prince still needed confirmation. Anything to satisfy the doubt in his mind. Even if he wasn't really in the best situation to be questioning this dragon in the first place, he would still press the beast for every possible answer he could get.

"Again, do you humans just forget everything when it is convenient to you?" Sasuke sighed. "Listen, I don't want you to die nor do I want you to get rid of the pact. Because that in turn would cause my own death. I cannot fend myself against an entire kingdom. And that goes for the other dragons. The dragons that reside in this forest, no in this country, are of the last few remaining dragons left in the world. It is my duty to protect them, just as it is my duty... to protect you. Because whether you see me as friend or foe anymore, doesn't really matter. What matters is that as long as the pact is still in place, I will keep my promise of protecting you. Because that is what the dragons of Konoha swore to do. And now, I'm asking you to do the same."

Naruto's breath paused for just a brief moment. He watched as the dragon bowed its head at him, and then rose back up with an almost pleading look in its eyes. He could hardly believe that a _dragon_ of all things, was asking for his help. No, he _couldn't_ believe it. He couldn't believe any of this. He wanted to pretend he was in a dream and that it didn't matter what decision he made. He would just wake up and everything would go back to normal. That was what he would do every night when he was a child; pretend that every bad thing that happened was nothing more than a horrible dream.

"Come on. I haven't all day to hear your response. You do realize that your failure to comply will result in _both_ of our deaths."

The prince turned his back to the dragon. "...even if everything you just said was true, dragon, it wouldn't make a difference, right? I mean, whether or not I say yes or no to the pact, they will still kill me right?" Yes. Thats right. If he agreed or disagreed, they would still find some kind of way to write him out of the picture. He really could just pretend that this whole thing was nothing more than a dream after all.

"No."

"Then what-" Naruto flinched as he felt something wrap around his body. It was the dragon's tail.

"If you allow me to protect you, be your guard, then I can prevent them from doing _anything_ to you. Keep me by your side, just like how rulers in the olden times used to do. Form a personal pact with me. Allow me to protect you, and in exchange, you'll see the truth and let the dragons go free. But more importantly, you will live to see your kingdom flourish."

The prince was silent yet again. If he allowed this dragon to protect him, they wouldn't be able to kill him? And if he saw that Sasuke was telling the truth, then it was true that he would have to believe a dragon's word over his own people. But if it turned out he was lying then, "I'll kill you."

"What?"

The prince turned to face Sasuke with a cold look in his eyes. "If I find out you are just lying to get close to me or my people, I will kill you. I will take my sword, have you chained down, and decapitate you myself. And then I will drink the blood that pours out from your very veins."

At that, Sasuke just gave the blonde an amused look. _'He's completely different than how I imagined him to be.'_ The dragon nodded. "Fine. Then its a deal."

Naruto held out his hand. "A deal." He brought his hand back, however, when Sasuke reached out with one of his claws. "No. I refuse to shake the blood stained claw of a dragon. Let me see your human form, and then we will shake."

"Are you serious? Fine..." The dragon closed its eyes. "Just so you know, I'm only doing this because I have to."

Naruto waited in anticipation. He had to wonder what such a grim, snarky and malevolent beast had to look like as a person. A mental image surfaced in the prince's mind as he imagined something with jagged teeth, sharp claws with scaly hands and feet, and bloodshot eyes. _'Oh god please don't let it be that.'_ He shook the image from his mind and awaited the dragon's transformation.

Sasuke took a few steps back into the moonlight of the cave. He then roared and his eyes began to glow. Glittery black and purple smog began to surround him as his dragon features began to move inward, converting into an entirely different form. Eventually, the magical smoke began to surround him completely to the point where Naruto couldn't see anything. And then as quickly as it appeared, the mystical smoke vanished, leaving behind the figure of a man.

The man stood shakily to his feet, and curved his back, taking in a few breaths as he looked upward toward the dark cave ceiling. Pale skin glistened faintly in the moonlight. Curved, white horns protruded from his head, with hair as black and slick as a raven. A slender black tail wrapped around his left leg; there was a metallic, scythe-like spike at the end of it. The man brought a hand to his face, which had a few rough, black scales on top and long, pointed fingernails. Honestly, the sight was so mysterious yet so serene to Naruto that he couldn't believe this person was actually a dragon in disguise. The white skin was definitely a shock, as Naruto expected him to be darker in color. The leathery bat-like wings protruding from the man's back stretched and then neatly went back into place behind him; they didn't stick out all the time like you would expect them to.

"Whoa..." Naruto couldn't keep himself from commenting his awe. He had never seen a dragon transform before, let alone one that was said to be so deadly and hostile, into something so... eloquent for lack of a better word. However, it wasn't until Sasuke fully moved to face him that Naruto's face turned bright red.

"So..." Sasuke held out his hand.

"Wait... you're naked?!" Naruto expressed in surprise.

At that, Sasuke frowned. "Well no fucking shit!" He growled. "What the hell did you expect? For me to have full armor on?!"

"Well no.. I-I mean yes! I mean... just... don't you have something to wear?"

"I'm a goddamn dragon. Who's been living in the goddamn forest. What do _you_ think?"

"Ugh!" Naruto _really_ wasn't liking the sarcastic tone that the male kept spewing out at him. Maybe this wasn't going to work out after all. "Look just..." He took off the fur cape he was wearing, then wrapped it around Sasuke. "Wear that for now."

Sasuke looked at the cape wrapped around him and made a disgusted face as he took a whiff of it. "You stink."

"N-no I don't! I'll have you know that I bathed before even coming out here! You probably just don't like the smell of the fragrance I used in the bath or something. Now anyway..." Naruto took Sasuke's hand and shook it. He was expecting it to be as cold as ice what with the frigid weather and dragons being reptiles, but interestingly enough he found that it had a faint warmth that emanated from it. He wondered if all dragons were like this or if Sasuke was just unique. Which brought him to his next question. "By the way... how did you get your name? Did the knights just start calling you that?"

"No. Its my real name. It was given to me, but not by the guards from the kingdom. I just made sure that they knew who I was when they crossed me." He said, his black brows furrowing. "But anyway, thats not whats important right now."

"Oh, right!" Naruto turned to the entrance of the cave, and took a tentative step outside. The snow was starting to fall thicker. The blonde could barely make out the scenery a foot in front of him. "Now how to do this..." He muttered to himself.

"Do what?" Sasuke asked, raising a brow.

"Get you back to the castle."

"Right, the castle..." The man walked over and stood next to him. "Wait, the castle?!" He gave Naruto a look as if he were crazy.

"What?" Naruto looked at him. "You damn sure didn't expect for me to stay _here_ did you? If I stay here in the forest, not only do I risk freezing to death, but the guards are going to go crazy and look for me. If they find you with me, you're dead. And then if I'm not there to oversee the kingdom, they might just write me off as dead too, and proceed with whatever they want to do like you said!"

"I-I... damn. You're right." Sasuke said, gritting his teeth as he stared at the ground. How would a kingdom rule without a ruler? Well, they'd just make something up and go from there. He should have thought this out more thoroughly before just whisking the prince away. Now he began to get a little nervous thinking about whether or not they were already moving onto the next phase.

"Alright. I've got it!" Naruto said, bringing his fist down into the palm of his hand. "First, you need to bring me back to where you encountered me. I need to get my sword back."

"Why?" The man asked with a slight frown. "Don't you already have me for protection?"

"Look, dragon! I can't just waltz back into the castle and tell everyone I lost my fucking sword while patrolling! Then I'd just look like an idiot!"

"But you already do such a good job of that anyway."

"You know, I could go back on that deal right now."

"Really?" Sasuke took a step forward and looked down at the blonde, letting out a huff of smoke directly in his face. "So could I."

The prince moved back a bit. He didn't want to admit it, but that threat was just as effective as it was smooth. "Just take me back. Like I said, trust me on this. I've got an idea."

Sasuke sighed. "You better know what you're doing." He then walked off ahead of Naruto, gesturing for him to follow, as they wandered through the cold, desolate forest together. It actually astounded the prince how well the man was able to easily navigate his way around, even in this dense, thick darkness. But he supposed it made sense since the dragon had been living here for nearly a decade. For a while it was silent as they made their way back to the kingdom border, with the only sounds being their feet trudging through snow.

"Here." Sasuke paused just before the edge of the forest. "There's your sword." He pointed to the weapon lying on the ground.

Naruto stepped out of the woods and in between the space of it and the kingdom wall. He picked up his blade and looked it over before sliding it back into the sheath. He then turned toward Sasuke. "Ok. Now I need you to follow me." Naruto began to walk again, with Sasuke following alongside him in the forest. It looked like the dragon might have been wary of actually stepping foot near the wall. So it was at least true that Sasuke never left the forest. _'So thats how he kept tabs on everyone that entered the forest...'_

Eventually the duo stopped as they came to the edge of the kingdom's border. Beyond it was the rest of the forest. This corner of the border, located west in the kingdom, had a large, rounded pillar with a flag pole on top, symbolizing the crest of the royal family. But more importantly, because of the way this part of the wall was due to some structural damage that had happened in the past, it was a blind spot. Even during the day, not too much light shined on this particular corner of the wall from inside the kingdom, so the most anyone could see was shade, and it was normally lit by torches at night. This meant it would be extra hard to spot someone sneaking in, even with the wall being too high for someone to just whimsically climb over, without ropes or a hook shot at least. But for a dragon like Sasuke, this shouldn't be a problem.

Naruto looked to the male. "Listen, I need you to stay here. Got it? This will be how I get you inside. Once I'm on the other side of the wall, I'll give you a signal to climb over."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just have me get us both over it now?"

"No. It'd be too suspicious. Remember, I was out patrolling before you showed up. Not only that, but its been way past the time it should have been for me to come back. Which means, I haven't reported back yet. Magically appearing back at home would raise suspicion since I'm sure the guards are still waiting back at the entrance."

Sasuke sighed. "Ok. Then I'll wait here." He stepped back into the forest to conceal himself once again.

Naruto gave a nod before running off back toward the kingdom entrance. Along the way, he stopped and snapped an icicle off of a nearby tree and then proceeded to make small cuts all over his body. He made some deeper than the others, and even a few on his legs. He then discarded the icicle, shredded his shirt and then continued onward until he made it back to the entrance.

"My prince!" One of the guards ran toward Naruto and looked him over. "Thank goodness you're back! We were getting worried when you didn't return right away. We told the other guards to go give word that you hadn't returned from patrol yet!" He then looked at all the fresh cuts on Naruto's skin. "What on earth happened?!"

"I was attacked by wolves." The prince said, bending over as he panted. "But it was nothing I couldn't handle." He reassured, making the excuse seem as believable as possible. He couldn't let the guards know that he'd actually been kidnapped by a dragon of course, so this would just have to work.

"My goodness! We'll return you to the castle right away!"

"Not to worry." The prince said, smiling confidently. "I will be fine. I need to rest first before going back. However, I have an order for you. Inform my mother and Madara that I have returned safely from patrol. I will meet up with you once I regain my breath."

"As you wish, my prince!" The guards bowed. "Please do not strain yourself. If you begin to feel restless or tired, wait here and we will come back for you."

With that, both guards quickly made haste back toward the castle. Naruto pretended to sit down and wave as they left. Once he no longer heard their footsteps, the prince stood back up to his feet, and then ran to the western part of the border. Once there, he looked around to make sure there were no other guards patrolling. He then took out his sword, and began to move it around carefully in the moonlight until the reflection bounced off the blade. He aimed the light toward the flag post atop the large pillar. _'Damn. Too high!'_ Naruto climbed on top of a few nearby rooftops until he was finally high enough. He aimed the blade at the flag post again, and this time he was met with success as the sliver of moonlight refracted off the pole.

"Hm?" Seeing the odd occurrence, Sasuke began to move from his spot in the forest as he looked up. _'A light?'_ It must have been Naruto's signal. Taking a quick look around, he leaned down and kicked off the ground, using his wings to give him extra leverage as he jumped up the tall wall. When he reached the full height of his ascension, he clawed into the concrete surface, sliding a bit and leaving behind faint scratch marks before he finally got his footing. He took in a deep breath and then began to climb the rest of the way; he was too nervous that someone on the other side might see him had he decided to fly over no matter how dark it was. Once he was finally over the edge, his jaw almost dropped as he got sight of how huge the kingdom was on the other side. It was almost like he was entering a completely different world. He was snapped out of his daydream when he heard Naruto whistle. He double checked to make sure there wasn't anyone heading in their direction before he hopped down, landing safely with a flap of his wings. Once he reunited with the blonde he cracked a small grin. "I guess I should really start giving you credit."

"For what?"

"For not being stupid."

"Tch!" Naruto punched the dragon in the arm. "Shut it! Now follow me. We've only got a limited amount of time left to reach the castle before those guards come back."

Giving each other a nod, both the prince and the dragon made haste as they quickly, but sneakily and avoiding suspicion from other people and knights out on the street, made their way to the castle. Once there, Sasuke lifted Naruto over the castle gates before joining him on the other side. They ran up the walls and stairway together. Before going inside, however, Naruto stopped as he heard footsteps followed by someone talking.

" _Oh shit!_ " He whispered.

"What is it?"

"I think thats Madara's voice! He'll kill you on sight if he sees you." The blonde frantically looked around. There wasn't a chance in hell he'd be able to get Sasuke in past Madara. A thought then occurred to him as he looked up and smiled. "Got an idea~"

"He was attacked by wolves, you say?" Madara asked as he stood next to the guard in front of the door.

"Yes sir. He told us to come inform you and that he would be on his way back shortly."

"And you actually left him out in the cold like that?!"

"E-er... well it was an order, sir."

Just then, a loud voice boomed through the hallway as the front door opened. "I'm back!" Naruto smiled.

"Naruto!" Madara looked at the prince, completely bewildered by his sudden and upbeat appearance. "What on earth?"

"Hehe, sorry, Madara." He walked over to the mage. "I was attacked by wolves while out on patrol. Man you should have seen it! There was at least five or six of them! All coming from different angles!" Naruto said, as he began narrating the make believe fight. "But thankfully I had my sword! And then I remembered my training! I shot out a fireball like _"Whoosh!"_ just like you showed me during practice and that scared them all off!"

"Oh?" Madara blinked. "You actually used magic?"

"Well yeah!" The prince responded, with a slight nervous tone in his voice. _'God I hope I didn't just give myself away...'_

"Well thats great!" The mage smiled as he put a hand on the prince's shoulder. "I'm proud of you. Now you should have no trouble at all on harnessing water next."

"...water?"

"Yes, thats right. So make sure you get all your rest for tonight. And get those wounds taken care of. Got it?"

Naruto sighed. "...got it." He was _not_ looking forward to tomorrow.

"I'll send Sakura upstairs shortly to check on you. In the meantime, go inform your mother and grandfather that you have returned. Good night, my prince."

"Yeah, goodnight..." Naruto mumbled. He watched Madara leave with the guard before the blonde went upstairs. Actually, now that he was back home, the feeling of fatigue quickly began to set into the prince's body. It was probably past midnight by now, and he had been up since the sun rose. He really couldn't wait to sleep. _'What a day...'_

After speaking briefly with his mother who tried to _insist_ that he have a cup of tea before going to bed, he reassured her that everything was alright. She gave him a hug goodnight and patted his head. Naruto then went to check in on his grandfather. He was asleep. The prince quietly walked into the old man's room and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight, grandfather. Sorry if I worried you." He covered Jiraiya up and added more wood to his fireplace before leaving.

An exhale left Naruto's mouth as he _finally_ went into his own room. He set his sword against the wall, and lit the fireplace. He rubbed his hands together, seeing just how chilly the room had gotten by catching the sight of his breath. He then walked over to his balcony window, turned the lock to it and opened it.

"Took you long enough." Sasuke said as he waltzed inside.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well sorry. I ran into my mentor and one of the guards from earlier. And then I had to go check on my mother and grandfather. It would have looked like something was up if I tried to rush up here. _And_ I had to come up with a story that I was attacked by a pack of wolves."

Well that explained the blonde's bloodied appearance and torn clothes as the dragon looked him over again. He really was smarter than he seemed. "Fuck, its cold." Sasuke said as he immediately went to the fireplace and sat in front of it. "Too bad I can't shift back into my dragon form. Being stuck in human form sucks."

"Well get used to it." Naruto said, taking off his heavy boots and white gloves. He ran a hand through his hair, intentionally messing it up a bit as he began to relax. "Make yourself comfortable." Just as soon as he said that, Naruto's eyes widened as he heard a rush of fire near the fireplace. "The hell?!"

Sasuke blew fire from his mouth. "What? Its cold. I'm just trying to warm it up in here."

"Then just add some more wood!"

"This way is faster." He argued.

Naruto just huffed and shook his head. "Ok fine. Whatever." The blonde fell back on his bed.

Sasuke looked toward the large bed the prince was resting on. "Must be nice to come home to such a pampered life."

"Yeah well... if you actually lived my life and put up with the shit I had to do everyday, you wouldn't think it was so pampered then."

Sasuke chuckled. "So, now what?"

"Huh?"

"What are you going to do about the pact? Will you change your mind?"

"..." Naruto was silent. He actually hadn't given any more thought to the pact, despite the fact that it didn't seem like Sasuke had any ulterior motives. But was it still enough to say that he trusted the dragon? He decided to test him by asking an interesting question. "You know, you're here now. Right? So who's going to protect the forest? It wont matter if I change my mind about the pact between the kingdom and dragons. I've got you with me, which means that anything could happen." Naruto rolled over on the bed and looked at Sasuke. "I could just tell everyone that I caught the nuisance dragon, and I bet they'd change their mind about killing me~ Or on the other hand, I could keep you held hostage here, and send everyone out into the forest to kill the rest of the dragons."

Sasuke was silent for a moment. Its true, as long as he was here in the castle, no one would be out protecting the other dragons. That and the fact that if he even screwed up once, it would be enough for Naruto to warrant him dead. The blonde certainly had him in a tricky position. He thought about his response before answering. "And then what would you gain? I already told you, royal families were killed in the past for even just mentioning a connection with dragons. If you tried to turn me in, I would just lie and say that you were conspiring against the kingdom." Sasuke looked at Naruto. "And they wouldn't have a reason to doubt me, because of your father who thought of dragons as allies."

Naruto inwardly scowled at the mention of his father. It wasn't the fact that Sasuke had brought up his father that was making him upset, it was the fact that his father was actually _fond_ of dragons that pissed him off. Because of that, many people doubted Minato's judgement as a leader, and questioned Naruto's own leadership for the kingdom. And his father's likeness for the foul beasts ultimately ended in his demise. Just what about dragons did his father see in them to like them so much? Perhaps it was just pity. Either way, the prince couldn't deny that what Sasuke stated was true.

"You're right... they would just use my father against me and say that I'm unfit as a ruler because I am to follow in his footsteps." He clutched the amulet around his neck. "And the worst part is, I can't even hate him for it. All I could do... was hate dragons." He looked away from Sasuke and stared at the flickering flames in the fireplace. For some reason, it took a lot guts to say that last line in front Sasuke, who was known as one of the most ruthless dragons in the land. But if he could get away with saying such a thing without getting so much of a reaction out of the male, then _maybe_ he was worth trusting after all. "But it looks like no matter what I try to say or do, I am bound to you." Liked it or not, Sasuke was the only thing that Naruto could put his trust in. He could go to no one else about this interesting issue. To think it would get to a point where he couldn't even rely on his own people for help.

"I see." The dragon could easily say he felt the same way about humans, but he resisted for now. All it would result in was a mindless argument over power imbalance. So he opted to change the tide of the subject back something else that was previously mentioned. "But you're right..."

"Hm? Right about what?"

"That as long as I'm here, the forest is unguarded. So that means... we're going to have to do something about that."

"What? Do you want to go back?"

"No. Actually... didn't there used to be a ban put in place that strictly prevented the hunting of dragons in this land unless they were rogue?"

"Yeah. My father was the one who passed that law. But after he died, the court overruled it and made hunting all dragons fair game again."

"Then get the queen to reassign it."

"What?"

"The Queen still has power over the Court just like the King. If you get her to put the ban back into place, then I can stay here to guard you in secrecy while not having to worry about the safety of the the forest."

Naruto rubbed his chin. "You know what, that might actually work. But there's a problem..." The prince sighed. "How the _hell_ am I going to convince my mother to do it?" As far as his mother knows right now, Naruto absolutely hated dragons and hadn't mentioned anything good about them since the death of his father. Suddenly bringing up the idea to protect them wasn't going to be an easy task.

"You'll figure it out."

"Seriously?! You know, this is _your_ problem, too! The least you could do is-"

A knock suddenly sounded at the door. "My prince, pardon the intrusion."

"Oh shit! Hide!" Naruto quickly stood to his feet and ran to the door as it opened. Sasuke darted into the bathroom. The prince fidgeted with his shirt as Sakura walked in, rolling a cart in front of her. There was herbal tea, a bucket of medicinal water, and towels on the cart along with a health tonic. Oh thats right, Madara _did_ mention sending her up here to check on him, didn't he? "Wh-whats up, Sakura?" He asked, nervous tone in his voice.

"I was sent to tend to your wounds. You were attacked by wolves, right? Please allow me to aid you."

"Th-that wont be necessary! I'm fine, see?" He smiled.

But the dragoness seemed to just ignore him. "Please sit on the bed." She began to soak one of the towels in the bucket of medicinal water. There was steam faintly rising from it; it must have been made with hot water so that Naruto wouldn't get cold. It seemed that Sakura had at least considered that for the prince. "Remove your shirt please, my prince."

Naruto did as he was told. Upon seeing his wounds, Sakura paused. "S-something wrong, Sakura?"

"No. Its just... were you only scratched and not bitten?"

"Oh! Yeah, they could only get close enough to scratch."

"Well thats good, I suppose." She wrung out the towel and pressed it against one of the scratch wounds. Naruto hissed a bit at the feeling of the medicine stinging the cut. She then glided the towel over to the other wounds, cleaning up the dried blood and applying a little bit of pressure to the deeper ones. Once each one was cared for, she put the towel back into the bucket and then handed Naruto the health tonic. "This tonic and the tea were both made by me. So don't worry. Make sure you drink it all to get your strength back. Your wounds will heal faster, too."

"Oh! Thanks!" Naruto took the tonic and drank it all down in one go. He then took the tea in hand and sipped it gingerly. "Wow, Sakura... you're really good at this stuff! You should become a nurse! Seriously, I don't feel like I'm about to die when I drink your tea versus mother's!"

"Thank you, my prince." She smiled. She waited for Naruto to finish his tea before setting everything back down on the cart. "Oh and by the way... don't let anyone find out you are harboring a dragon in the castle."

"H-huh? What do you mean? There's no dragon here!"

"Forget it, Naruto. The jig is up." Sasuke said as he walked out of the bathroom. "She knows I'm here; she probably smelled my scent when she walked into the room." His eyes narrowed at the girl before he looked to the blonde. "Should I kill her? She might go run her mouth."

"No!" Naruto said, getting up and standing in between the two. "Do _not_ hurt Sakura! She is a servant of me and my family. And no harm is to come upon her."

Sasuke rose a brow. He was admittedly very confused at Naruto's sudden protectiveness of this dragoness, when earlier, he didn't hold back any expressions of wanting to kill Sasuke himself. He watched as the blonde thanked Sakura for everything, told her to keep this a secret, and then sent her on her way. He couldn't help but to notice the chains behind her back and the shackles around her wrists and ankles and frowned. _'So is she a servant or a slave?'_

"Geez... that seriously scared the hell out of me. I'm just glad it wasn't Madara who walked in here."

"Right. He's that wizard or whatever that protects your family, isn't he?"

"Not a wizard! A mage! And he's the most powerful mage in all the land! He fought alongside my father and my family for decades! And trust me, he wouldn't have hesitated to kill you if he walked in here. So try to be careful. Ok?"

"Yeah. Sure." Sasuke said, turning away from the blonde with a look of irritation on his face.

"Whats your problem?"

"Nothing." He retorted.

 _Clearly_ there was something wrong, but Naruto decided not to press the issue. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he didn't want Sasuke to harm Sakura? He didn't know. But one thing he did know was this, "You need a bath. And some clothes."

"What?" Sasuke looked over his shoulder and shook his head. "No baths."

"If you're not gonna take a bath, then you can forget sleeping in my room! Seriously, you're filthy and smell like a wild animal. I can literally smell you from here!"

"Grrr..." It was very clear by the sound that left Sasuke's throat that he wasn't interested in bathing.

"Either take a bath, or sleep outside on the balcony. Your choice."

After giving it some thought, Sasuke's shoulders drooped. "Fine." He proceeded to walk back into the bathroom he previously hid in.

Naruto gathered some garments, then walked in and lit a few candles for light. He turned on the water. The bathroom was spacious and clean, with silk drapes hanging from the ceiling. The tub was built in the floor and square shaped, with tiles around it. "Crap. I forgot to boil stones first to heat up the water."

"No need." Sasuke said. "I can heat the water up myself." He waited for the tub to get full before shutting off the water. The dragon took off the fur cape Naruto had previously given him and tossed it to the side. His nude body stood bare once again, but this time in plain view.

Naruto looked away out of respect for the dragon's privacy, but at the same time couldn't help but turn his head to get a peek. Seriously, as much as he hated to admit it, Sasuke's human form was completely different from how he looked as a dragon. His skin was smooth and pale; but there were still a few scars here and there on different parts of his body. His black hair had an almost dark navy blue tint to it, with the top of it going from slick, to spiky, to more relaxed as it went down his head; it kind of resembled the spikes in his dragon form. The prince had to wonder if the dragon also did any training of his own as he took note of the abs rippling down his stomach and his chest muscles that bulged just the slightest bit each time the dragon breathed. Not to mention his arms; he was probably strong enough to lift a large boulder with ease.

"You done staring? Didn't you make such a big deal about me being naked before?" Sasuke huffed, splashing water at the blonde with his tail as he sat in the tub.

"Ngh!" Naruto wiped the water from his face. "Its just that... you're the complete opposite of what I'd expect a dragon who attacks people to look like in human form. Are you sure you aren't just trying to mislead me?"

"Who knows?" Sasuke relaxed in the water, upping the temperature of his body to make the water hot. There was a brief look of content on his face before Naruto spoke up again.

"Thought you didn't like baths?"

"Shutup. Its cold."

"Whatever." Naruto walked over to the corner of the bath and picked up two buckets that had flowers soaking in them. "Lavender or rose?"

"Can I pick neither?"

"No."

"Fine then. Rose I guess."

Naruto set down the other bucket and then proceeded to pour the bucket of rose petal water into the tub. "There. Now you won't smell like the actual forest anymore."

Sasuke watched the rose petals float in the water. He picked one up and looked at it curiously. "You humans sure have some weird customs. Its not normal to smell like a forest but its perfectly ok to smell like a _garden_ all day?"

"Oh shutup. Just finish bathing already and go to bed. Its up to you where you decide to sleep. Just make sure you aren't seen." Naruto left the dragon alone for the remainder of his bath. The blonde sighed as he began to shed off the rest of his clothes, save for his under garments, and pulled out a long, white button down silk shirt from his wardrobe. He put the garment on but didn't bother with buttoning it and laid down. As he finally began to relax, a flurry of thoughts entered his mind. For one, he was harboring a dragon in his room. And for two, he still couldn't believe that he was going to be killed. There were so many things he wanted to ask, but there wasn't anyone he could go to. All he had was himself, and a dragon. _'What the hell...'_

After some time had passed, Sasuke finally emerged from the bath. He looked around the bedroom and eyed the prince lying down. He walked over to him. "Hey." But the prince was fast asleep. _'So he dozed off, huh?'_ Sasuke seized the opportunity to look the male over. Golden blonde hair, and smooth white skin. _'What, does he bathe in milk and honey, too?'_ He'd never really took the time to look at a human up close, and trailed a finger down the blonde's exposed chest; some of the cuts were already beginning to heal, probably a side effect of the tonic he had drunk earlier. When he began to stir, Sasuke moved his hand away and looked at the male's face. Despite everything that had just happened, Naruto's face seemed to be calm as he slept. The dragon found it interesting that he could even look so nonchalant despite the circumstances that were going on. _'For an overzealous idiot, he's kind of cute.'_ He thought to himself.

The dragon blew out all of the torches in the room, leaving the fireplace as the only light source. He stared out the balcony window, eyeing the soft, drifting clouds in the sky. For a moment, he thought of the forest and all the other creatures lurking within it and how they would be able to adapt without his guardian-like presence there. The only thing that would be able to protect them now was if Naruto was able to over turn the Court's decision on the ban that prevented killing dragons that weren't rogue. A final thought ran across Sasuke's mind as he sighed. _'I hope this works.'_


	4. Chapter 4

**~:** ✞ **:~**

Another cool, yet slightly sunny day settled upon the kingdom as Naruto slept soundly in his bed. Buried under the sheets, he escaped the chilly air as he snoozed; embracing the warmth encapsulated around his body. It felt so nice to be this warm during the cold. He sought it out more, nuzzling his face into the firmness of the pillow. Wait. Firmness? Naruto's brows furrowed a bit as he nuzzled harder into it, trying to make the pillow more to his liking. But it did nothing. Maybe if he tried kneading it a bit? He half consciously brought his hands up to knead the feathery pillow, only it wasn't exactly _feathers_ that he felt.

"Hn... stop that." Sasuke grumbled.

The prince's eyes snapped open. He sat up and realized that his head had been resting upon the dragon's chest! "Wh-what the?!" He expressed, looking down at the raven haired man sleeping in his bed. In _his bed_! "The fuck do you think you're doi- Oof!"

Before Naruto could finish his sentence, a strong arm was wrapped around his neck and he was forcibly pulled back down. "Shut up." The dragon yawned in annoyance. "Its still early and I'm tired." He said as he continued to rest; his eyes hadn't even opened once.

Naruto huffed as he had no choice but to sit still in the dragon's hold. He was able to feel the heat emanating off the male; it felt comforting and almost inviting. Like a hot bath without having to wait for the water to warm. Speaking of baths, Naruto remembered that the dragon reluctantly bathed last night. He inhaled and he could smell the scent of roses come off Sasuke's skin, along with a bit of a woodsy smell. It was kind of sexy. That along with the rugged look of the dragon made it all the more.

As the prince lied in bed, tracing a finger along one of Sasuke's muscles, Naruto began to recall everything that had happened the day before. He had been patrolling, captured by this dragon, and now he was harboring that very same dragon in his room. And said dragon was now resting in his bed, beneath him. Not only that, but his kingdom was set to kill him on his coronation day. No matter how many times Naruto ran the scenario through his mind, he still couldn't believe it. But he _could_ believe that the dragon was more comfortable to lay on that he initially thought. He couldn't help but to give the male's chest another squeeze.

"Hey, cut it out."

"Hmph. Thats for getting in my bed without permission." Naruto chuckled. Although to be fair, he did say that Sasuke could sleep wherever he wanted as long as he wasn't spotted. The canopy that draped over the prince's bed offered some protection from someone seeing them upon first glance should anyone with a key happen to walk in. _'I guess this is fine. Plus, he's really warm~'_ Naruto nuzzled back into the dragon's chest. He could honestly stay in bed like this all day. Maybe having a dragon around wasn't so bad.

"My prince, are you awake yet?"

Naruto sighed. Almost. He could _almost_ stay in bed like this all day. "Yes, I am awake. What do you need? I'd prefer it if no one bothered me today." He said irritably.

"I understand, my prince. I was just checking up on you from last night. Your grandfather wishes to speak with you when you have the chance."

"Oh, the old man? Very well. I will go to his room momentarily."

After that, the guard left. Naruto yawned and then peeked his head from beneath the sheets. He glanced at the door to make sure the guard was gone before turning back toward Sasuke. "Hey, dragon." He said. No response. "Dragon!" He hit the male with a pillow.

"Grr!" A rather unpleasant sound left Sasuke's throat. "What?!"

"Get up."

"What for? You're the one who has to get up and do shit."

"Aren't you my bodyguard?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah. But I can't exactly leave this room yet, now can I? You still have to do something about that ban, so I can be allowed _legally_ on human ground."

"Oh. Right..." To be honest, Naruto had completely forgotten about that. In order to remove the hunting permit that targeted both rogue and regular dragons, he was going to have to convince his mother to get the Royal Court to overturn it. But just fucking _how_ was he going to do that? He simply sat in silence for a moment as his azure blue eyes stared off into space.

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Sasuke griped. "You said your father did it, didn't you?"

"Yes but that was because my father was well trusted by the Court and because he also had an affinity with dragons. He always knew how to handle dragons so well that the kingdom would allow a dragon to fly over or come close to the kingdom every now and then. But... he ended up trusting a dragon too much, and thats when that attack happened..." Naruto's fingers curled tightly into the bed sheets. _'If he weren't so trusting... why, Father? If you knew it was dangerous, then why?'_

Sensing Naruto's sudden discomfort about the topic, Sasuke sat up in the bed. "Hey. Look, I'm sorry about your father. Seriously, I am. But you're not the only who has lost those who were close to you. I'm not like that dragon who attacked. I'm not vicious, or rogue. I tolerate people and I don't kill unless I have to. So why don't we just put our differences aside and look at what we've got in common instead."

"In common? Hmph. Don't make me laugh, dragon. What could I possibly have in common with a beast like you?"

"Life." Sasuke responded, looking off to the side at the light shining in through the balcony window. "We both have lives. We're both helpless. And we both want to live, right? We're both fighting against something that's impossible to fight on our own. What I'm saying is, if you're willing to trust me for just several moons until your coronation, then I'll do everything I can to prevent something bad from happening. But as long as you keep dwelling and holding on to the past, there's nothing I can do for you. I can't bring your father back. But I can at least protect his son." Sasuke looked at Naruto.

The smallest blush ran across Naruto's face. What, was he dragon or a poet? "Tch..." Naruto pulled his knees to his chest. He was silent for a moment before finally responding. "Yeah. I get it." He said. "I may not be able to bring back all the dragons that were slain, but I guess... I guess if it means saving one to protect them all while keeping my own life in tact, its not a bad idea. Just remember our promise! If you try anything, you're dead!"

With that, Naruto finally slipped out of bed, pushing the canopy drapes off to the side. He stretched and yawned before standing to his feet. He heard a _plop_ on the floor and curiously looked down to see what it was. It was garments that were folded up neatly. He picked them up to inspect them, and upon realizing what they were, his face lit up bright red. "Sasuke..."

"What?"

"...are you not wearing any clothes?"

"No. Why?"

The prince grit his teeth. "So the whole time... you were sleeping in my bed... naked?!"

"Yeah. Whats the big deal?"

"Oh I'll tell you what the big deal is!" The prince turned around and tackled the dragon. "You fucking pervert! You planned this didn't you!"

"What? No! I'm a dragon! The hell do I need to wear clothes for? Especially to sleep! It just means I'll have to take them back off again!"

For a while the two tossed and rolled in the bed, wrestling each other and slinging dirty words and insults. Just a moment ago they were set on helping each other and the situation had dissolved into nothing more but loathing their existence again. Sasuke eventually won by pinning Naruto down, and giving him a glare. The prince challenged the dragon with his own glare, which only warranted in the male leaning down to bite his shoulder.

"For royal scum, you taste pretty good~"

"O-ouch! You bastard! Get off!" Naruto gave Sasuke a warning kick. It didn't seem to do much as the dragon barely moved an inch. "Ugh. Sasuke, I swear to the gods!"

"Hmph." Sasuke smiled triumphantly as he finally got off the blonde. It was entirely too much fun playing with this thick-headed prince; more fun than he wanted to admit. "Don't pick a fight with a dragon~" He mocked.

"Tch..." Naruto sat up and rubbed his shoulder, tracing his finger along the indents of the teeth marks Sasuke left behind. _'Damn that really fucking hurt.'_ The prince was actually surprised he wasn't bleeding or had a cracked bone or anything. The dragon probably knew just how much jaw pressure to apply to prevent from seriously injuring him. It would have been bad if he couldn't wield his sword or anything due to a broken shoulder. It actually gave Naruto some food for thought as he remembered what Sasuke said prior. _'He doesn't hurt or kill anyone unless he needs to...'_ So to some degree, even if the prince pissed him off to the highest extent, he wouldn't do anything rash. That might be something to duly note in the future.

"Anyway, my grandfather wants to see me. He's probably worried about last night. I'm going to go see him, and then see if I can find a way to convince mother. For now, you just stay here."

"Got it."

"Do try to remember to stay hidden. A few of the royal guards have the key to my room for protection purposes, so hide if you hear anything. Oh!" Naruto suddenly remembered something important. "Breakfast. You're hungry, right?"

"Not particularly. I've been fasting for almost four months."

"Four months?! Without eating? Are you insane!"

"I'm a dragon you dumbass. Plus its the winter. Dragons don't normally eat when its cold because food is scarce and there's hardly any sun to keep us warm to aid in digestion."

"I-I knew that!" Naruto huffed. "My father said something similar. That dragons can go a long time without eating, sometimes even years! Its... actually what they did to Sakura." He sighed. "They made her go three years without food, and only gave her treats for good behavior."

"..." Sasuke remained silent as he listened.

"I get that you guys are meant to tough things out and you handle your bodies differently from how humans normally would but... it would make me a bit more comfortable if you ate something. You wouldn't be a very useful bodyguard if you had no energy to fight with, right?" Naruto also didn't want Sasuke to suddenly start getting cravings for people either.

"Fine. I'll eat something if it means you'll shut up."

"Alright. Then I'll have Sakura sneak you some food while I'm gone." Naruto gave the dragon a nod and then began to get dressed. Once he was finished, he left the bedroom and made way to his grandfather's chambers. _'Time to go see the old man.'_ But the sight he saw when he walked inside wasn't really a great one. His grandfather was lying in bed with some young woman, probably one he casually picked up from the streets. Her perfume was so strong that the whole room was toxic with her scent. She had an arm wrapped around the man as they both lied in bed, dozing peacefully.

Naruto grabbed a book from the shelf, walked over the to bedside, and slammed it down hard on the nightstand. "Hey, old man! Wake up!"

"Gah!" Jiraiya's eyes popped open, and he sat up completely startled. The woman next to him even flinched and sat up as well. When she saw Naruto, however, she quickly tried to hide her face and her exposed breasts. "Naruto, what was the meaning of that?"

"If you are going to request my company, I'd appreciate it if I didn't have to see you naked in bed with a harlot you picked up from the streets."

"Naruto!" Jiraiya frowned. "She is not a harlot! She is an elegant, beautiful woman seeking pleasure and warmth among the dreads of winter."

"Grandfather, she has literally slept with every royal guard in the castle."

"That means she is very committed to serving the family."

"Grandfather."

With a chuckle, Jiraiya whispered something to the woman which made her nod and giggle. He then turned his attention back to the prince. "Alright then, Naruto. If you don't mind, I will meet you in the private study shortly. We can have a chat there and eat breakfast."

"Very well." The prince sighed. He left the bedroom and shook his head, entirely done with his grandfather's shenanigans. Before going on to the private study, he went to find Sakura and asked that she bring food up to his room for Sasuke. She nodded and started to prepare a meal. The prince then went back upstairs and took out a key. He used it to unlock a door leading to a sitting room filled with bookshelves, maps, a fireplace, and a window. The private study was only for the royal family's use as it held many ancient texts and history of the land and family. Outsiders were forbidden from coming inside without being escorted.

Naruto dusted off the table a bit and sat down, exhaling softly as he allowed his mind to wander. He started to think of the inevitability of telling his mother about the ban. But for now that could wait. It had been some time since he had commuted with his grandfather. This should be a nice breakaway from the norm and allow him to settle his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Sakura put together a meal consisting of eggs, a huge hunk of roast beef, and some freshly brewed tea. Being a dragon, she knew that Sasuke was going to require a lot of protein, so vegetables and anything similar was left out. She also fried a few pieces of thick bacon and set them on a plate. She covered all the food up, set the dishes on a tray, and then made her way carefully up the stairs. She then put the tray down on a cart and headed for Naruto's bedroom.

Sasuke allowed his wings to stretch out as he stood in the room, working out some of the kinks in his body. Sleeping in a bed felt nice, but it was far too cramped in his opinion. Though, he supposed it also beat lying on a cold, hard cave floor every night. Just so that Naruto wouldn't make a fuss, he decided to put on the garments the prince left for him; they were a bit of a tight fit but they managed. The loose, white slacks covered his legs and stopped just above his ankles. He didn't bother putting on the shirt since his wings would just get in the way. Upon hearing a knock at the door, Sasuke flinched. He was about to run and hide until he realized that the person on the other side was Sakura; he could faintly smell her scent. He sighed and walked to the door to unlock it. "Come in."

Sakura walked inside, closing the door behind her and locking it to prevent anyone else from coming in. She then rolled the cart of food over to Sasuke. As she uncovered each plate, the dragon's mouth practically drooled as he looked at each morsel. The giant hunk of beef particularly had his attention.

"I've prepared you a hearty meal. Please eat as much as you'd like." She bowed. "I can get you some more if you please." Sakura couldn't help but glance over Sasuke's body; what a handsome dragon.

Upon hearing the dragoness speak, Sasuke was once again reminded of her status here at the castle; a dragon slave. But what pissed him off more than that, was the fact that she seemed completely passive about it. Why? Was she genuinely happy doing this, or was there something more? Its not as if she owed her life to doing this kind of hospitality; Sasuke could tell just by looking at her that she wasn't even a dragon native to this country.

Sakura stared at the male for a while, taking in and admiring all of his features. The dragoness had never seen another dragon since being traded away. Getting the chance to see one now of all times, when dragons were scarce and almost unheard of on kingdom grounds, was honestly a little breath taking for the girl. "What kind of dragon are you?" She asked. "A night prowler? A fire breather?" Or maybe even a mountain dweller. But looking at him again, that was unlikely. Sasuke lacked the rugged features most dragons from the mountains would have.

"Hm... lets just say a little bit of both."

"I see. Are there other dragons in the forest like you? I do wish I could meet them some day..."

"Tch. Why? So you can reveal our location to everyone and get special points to keep you alive here longer?"

"What? No I..."

"Why are you doing this?" He finally asked. "The humans here treat you like scum, yet you offer little to no resistance. The way you look and how you act is a disgrace to dragons everywhere."

The male's words held a sting in their tone, and Sakura tried her best not to react to them. "Why should I resist?" She began to reply, making some tea. "Not only can I do nothing with these shackles on, but why should I go against the only people who have bothered to treat me as something more than a prop?"

"A prop?"

"My previous owners... were horrible people. They didn't feed me. They wouldn't even let me bathe. I was filthy. If I even so much as looked at them wrong, I would be beaten. At one point I was threatened to be sold to a group of men for lewd purposes if I didn't obey. I was nothing more than an object to be kept by nobles sides to show off how powerful they were for disgracing a young child."

"Hmph, so why didn't you just light their asses up?" He remarked. "You're a damn dragon, not a child!"

"Resisting would mean that I would die, right? So I just did what I was told. Eventually, I must have been able to do enough because after a while, they decided I was good enough to be given to a prince as a parting gift. That prince was Naruto. And he treated me differently. I was confused at first but..." Sakura looked up at Sasuke. "I was happy. Why would I want to harm someone who makes me feel happy? Who makes me feel like an actual person from time to time? The prince saw something in me, and was good enough to give me a happy and fulfilling life. To me, these chains and shackles mean something more than captivity. It means that on the outside I may be seen as a monster, but somewhere deep inside, I'm something else."

Sasuke half-heartedly listened to the dragoness words. She felt like she was human just because they decided to pretty her up and give her food? Ridiculous. She was nothing more than a pet, playing good girl until they got bored. "Well to me... you're nothing more than a traitor."

"Huh?" Sakura looked up at the male. "What do you mean?"

"Don't give me that shit. You think you're special just because the humans here are a little bit nicer than your previous owners? What a joke. But you're right about one thing..." Sasuke glared at her. "You're _not_ a dragon; you're a damn lapdog. A human pet who's turned her back on her kind just so she can sit back and live the luxury of not having to be hunted. Of not having to worry when her last meal is. The only privilege you get is the fact that if you do die, your death will probably be quick and painless."

"..." The dragoness looked away, avoiding further eye contact with the male as she fidgeted with making the rest of the tea.

"Don't think that just because Naruto treats you kindly means that he likes you. When he becomes king, which I will make sure happens, he'll throw you to the side. And then what use will you have?" He turned his back to her. "But unlike you, I have a purpose. I am protecting my kind. I may be conspiring with the enemy to do so, but I'm also making sure my own enemies don't try and take advantage of me. But you're so used to being taken advantage of already that _any_ attention or recognition you get is a blessing. If you had ever stepped foot near the forest... _I would have killed you!_ " He snarled.

Sakura suddenly dropped the teapot she was holding, being startled by Sasuke's sudden threat. "O-oh, sorry. I'll clean up this mess." She said, quickly going to the bathroom to grab a towel. She kept her head down as Sasuke refused to even look at her; there was a heavy and thick silence and an air of tension in the room. After she cleaned up the spilled tea, she bowed and exited the room. "Enjoy your meal. Sorry to disturb you."

After she left, Sasuke exhaled. A fury had been raging inside of him ever since the dragoness entered the room. Now that she was gone, the fire seemed to die out in his gut. He looked over his shoulder at the door, and then eyed the tea and food left behind. He sighed. She may be nothing more than a lapdog, but she _did_ go out of her way to treat him with kindness and hospitality when she didn't have to. She could have even gone and mouthed off to the guards about his presence here. And yet, all she did was continue to do her job and leave like an obedient child. It was rare that Sasuke threatened other dragons, but his stance on the situation still held firm. He believed he had a purpose, and he couldn't afford to trust anyone. Not even Sakura, his own kind.

After some time, noon had finally settled in. The sun had been out all day, thawing out some of the coldness in the land, but now as it began to set, the cold drew in once more. Thankfully, winter was starting to come to an end. Soon enough, spring would peak through. Sasuke remained in the room all day, chowing on the food little by little as he looked through a few of the prince's books. Some had been gathering dust for so long that they had developed a layer of dirt, and others, such as spell books, looked like they were about to erode from being worn. When he heard Naruto outside the door, Sasuke put the book he was reading down and looked up.

"I'm back." The blonde exhaled tiredly. He let out a midday yawn as he closed and locked the door behind him. "Grandfather sure loves to talk."

"Did you manage to convince her?" Sasuke asked, disregarding Naruto's words.

"Huh? Oh, you mean mother? No. Not today." He shook his head. "I did inquire grandfather about doing so, but he wouldn't let me go. I heard from Madara that she was practicing piano all day. I felt it was best not to disturb her. Tomorrow I will speak to her though, rest assured." He nodded.

"Hmph. Why not now? Do you really think you have time to sit back and relax?"

"Why not? Isn't that what you have been doing all day?" Naruto said, putting a hand on his hip. "Unlike you, I have many duties that be attended to and dealt with each day. My only days off are the seventh of the week, when the sun shines its brightest. And even then, I still have to get up early."

Sasuke just let out a huff. It was obvious he didn't want to hear any excuses, no matter how justifiable they may be. "Look, its great and all that you have time you can afford to waste. But each day that goes by means that my kind continue to go unprotected. If you will not do something to help me, then what use for a prince are you? Rulers are meant to protect everything in and around their kingdom. Yet you can't dedicate a shrivel of your time toward something as menial as this? Did you forget that _your_ life is in jeopardy, too?"

"Look here you bastard dragon..." The prince said, throwing his cape off to the side. "I can understand you have a reason to be here and that you are upset. But right now, as it stands, I am the _only_ one able to help you. You can continue to sit there and be spiteful just because things aren't going as fast as you want them to, but at the end of the day _you_ aren't the one who has to pretend that nothing is wrong!"

"..." Sasuke stared at the prince.

Naruto turned his head away from the dragon and looked at the floor. "Thats right... you're a dragon. Not a prince, nor a ruler. You're not even human. You do not know my struggles. The challenges I must face each day. The memories I have to repress just to keep up a good facade until I become king. I have to keep on doing things as normal as I can. Training, fighting, feeding my country, making sure other kingdoms don't invade us, and passing laws within the Court. And on top of it all, I have to make sure that my mother and grandfather remain safe. Because if I am to die, who knows what may happen to them if I'm not around to protect them. I can't... I can't let another repeat of the past happen. Yet you..." Tears welled up within the prince's eyes. "You just sit there thinking that I do nothing. I'm helping you aren't I?! So why... why do you have to sit there and criticize me for every thing?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but then immediately shut it. Shit. He fucked up. He wasn't expecting the prince to throw all of this on him and then break down in tears. He didn't think his words really had that much of an impact. Was this... was this how Sakura also felt? Did everyone who worked here in the castle have the same similar feelings? Working towards goals, protecting people, defending their territory, and making rules to keep them safe. Weren't all those things... the same thing that _dragons_ did?

Sasuke sighed and stood up. He walked over to the prince and lightly bumped his forehead with the back of his hand. "Hey idiot... stop crying. I didn't mean it. Ok?"

"Ngh... I'm not crying!" He quickly retorted, wiping his eyes. "A prince never cries."

Sasuke pulled him into a hug. "But a person does."

"Nn..." Naruto was confused for a moment as he found himself within the dragon's embrace. Sasuke seemed to be genuinely trying to cheer him up, while also using the gesture as an apology. "Right..." He said, resting his face on the dragon's collarbone. He never really noticed how much taller Sasuke was; this was the closest they had been to one another, not counting the whole sleeping in bed together thing. "Thats what mother used to say when I was feeling down. Sometimes, when I needed to let something out, she said it was okay to just stop being a prince for a little while. Life gets crazy, but then it gets back on track, too."

"Yeah." Sasuke responded. "It really does get crazy. But it doesn't need to get crazier just because I'm in the picture. Listen, if you ever need to vent or something... its fine if you come to me. You're annoying but that doesn't mean I should ignore what you're going through. I should have considered your feelings from the start."

"Heh. What are you saying you dumb ass dragon?" Naruto playfully pushed the male away and looked at him. His cheeks were slightly red and Sasuke couldn't tell if it was due to embarrassment or him crying. Or maybe it was both. But somehow, he looked kind of charming. Like how a prince should look.

The dragon chuckled. "You should show this side of yourself more often. Its a good look for you~"

"Shutup."

"I'm just saying, you're more... interesting when you're honest."

"And you're really fucking aggravating. But I guess thats just something I'm going to have to deal with." Naruto said, giving the male a mocking grin as he walked over to the fireplace, grabbed a cauldron and began filling it with stones to boil for the bath. "As I've said, tomorrow I will talk with mother. We'll figure something out."

"Yeah..." Sasuke stared out the balcony window, looking out past the garden and kingdom walls. He prayed in his mind that by tomorrow things would be sorted.

 **~:::~**

The next morning, Naruto awoke bright and early, this time without making a fuss about Sasuke in his bed because what would be the point. He put on his best attire, and neatly combed his hair. _'Ok. I can do this.'_ He stared at the mirror and began to practice smiling. He was going to need all his strength and cunning today for the task at hand.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, rolling over on the bed to lie on his side while he looked at the blonde.

"Getting ready..." He turned around. "To convince mother."

Sasuke couldn't help but to flash an amused smile at the blonde. "Well good luck. I hear the queen's _very_ hard to please."

"Yeah... wait, no! Thats not it!" Naruto frowned. "You really don't get it, do you? I haven't spent proper time with my mother in moons; I've been preparing all this time for my coronation. I haven't even asked about her garden which she loves taking care of so much. And now I'm suddenly going to have to bring up _dragons_ and not wanting them extinguished? This is going to be harder than you think."

"Relax already. What matters is you're trying. Thats... really all I can ask." He shrugged. "And if it still doesn't work, like I said, we'll figure something else out."

"Y-yeah..." The prince wasn't expecting the dragon to suddenly be so compliant. He had to wonder if something happened while he was gone yesterday. Maybe he started to think about the reality of the situation more? Well regardless, it was going to be Naruto and not him who would be spending time with the queen today. Once he was finished prepping, Naruto left the room. "Try not to make too much noise, alright? I'll be sure to tell the maids and servants not to go into my room without my presence as well."

"Alright. Bye." Sasuke gave a half wave as the blonde disappeared behind the door. He yawned and then dove back into the bed. _'Don't screw up, you idiot.'_

Naruto stopped in front of his mother's bedroom chambers. The double doors to it was huge, and lined in gold with two doorknobs that had the family's crest engraved into them. Even though he had seen these doors so many times before, somehow they felt even more intimidating today. Sucking in a breath, he cautiously brought his fist up and knocked a few times. "Mother?"

It was silent for a moment before the door on the left creaked open, and a woman with red hair drowsily answered the blonde from the other side. "Yes, Naruto?" She yawned, bringing a hand to her mouth to cover it.

"Mother are you... free today?"

"Hm?" She blinked. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"I um... I would like to spend some time with you. Perhaps we could enjoy a day on the town? Or in the garden? Which ever you would prefer." He bowed his head.

"Oh. How nice of you, Naruto." She smiled. "What made you decide to do this today?"

"Well, it has been quite a while since you and I have spent some quality time with one another. I have been thinking that I would like to be with my mother, the queen, before she retires and I become king." He remarked.

Kushina chuckled. "What a mature response. Very well. Allow me to get dressed and prepared first, then we shall take a stroll through the kingdom. Perhaps we could even get some octopus while we're out. I've been craving some for a while."

"Alright. Let me know when you're ready."

"Well you don't have to stand outside. Come on in, prince."

"N-no. Thats ok. I'll wait here."

"Well if you're sure, then I'll try to be out as quickly as I can." Kushina nodded and then closed the door.

Naruto leaned against the wall and let out a sigh of relief. He almost lost his composure for a brief moment. He was silently hoping that the queen _would_ be busy and he could stall for another day or two. But like Sasuke said, this couldn't wait. He was going to need the cooperation of everyone he could rely on and trust if he ever wanted to see the day he became king. Even though he still wanted to doubt Sasuke, he started to think that maybe the dragon's words held some solidarity. He remembered the hug he gave him yesterday.

 _'...he was gentle.'_ Naruto never knew of any dragons that were gentle or even kind. Well, except for Sakura but she was different. Sasuke was labeled as a rogue and wild dragon that hailed from a dangerous forest that spelled disaster for anyone who didn't know any better. Yet, the dragon seemed to be more than capable of holding his temper rather than losing it. Even when he had to take him hostage during the fight, Sasuke didn't draw a single drop of blood. He was careful and cautious. He was untrusting of people, but smart enough to not kill needlessly. Sasuke really _was_ trying to help him understand. _'I guess its ok.'_ He thought. It was alright to trust this dragon rather than to doubt him. Besides, if Sasuke had intended harm upon him or his kingdom, he would have done so a long time ago.

"Alright, my prince. I'm ready." Kushina said as she opened the door. Her beautiful, long red hair was carefully combed, not leaving a single tangle within its tresses. She wore a long, velvet and silk dress that covered her feet, but Naruto could hear the heels she wore as she took several steps forward. A gold headdress adorned her forehead rather than a crown, and her milky white skin almost seemed to glisten. Even the sweet smelling, cherry blossom scented perfume added an air of nobility with just a touch of innocence to her elegant appearance.

"Wow... you look great, mother!"

"Don't I always?" She laughed, elbowing the prince.

"You should bring a jacket, or at least a stole to keep warm."

"I will be fine." She insisted. "The winter months are starting to come to an end, and the sun has been shining more lately. I'm just not looking forward to the rain." She sighed. "I wish we could skip past all the dreary weather and just go straight to having it be perfect for my garden."

"Yes, but you can't rush the seasons, mother~" Naruto chided. Not only was it unrealistic, but he literally couldn't afford it to be closer to his death day. "Well, let us have a day out on the town."

With that, the pair headed off for the kingdom. The maids told them to be safe, and sent a couple of guards with them for security. Once they were out of the castle grounds and into the kingdom, they began to reminisce of good times, and started speaking trivially of certain things. Naruto chose his words carefully, choosing to speak about his future, and the plans he had for the kingdom once he became king. He was careful not to elude to anything suspicious, and also continued to compliment his mother and asked her about hobbies and time.

"There's a new tea I'd like to try brewing." She said.

"I-is there?" Naruto asked a bit hesitantly.

"Yes. I'm thinking... chamomile, mint, and ginger root."

"Sounds bitter..." Naruto muttered.

"What was that? I didn't quite hear you there."

"I said sounds better! Uh, better than your last tea! I'm sure this one will be the greatest!" He flashed a big smile.

"Oh, I see..." Kushina gave her son an odd look.

 _'Shit, did I say something wrong?'_ Naruto spotted someone selling mutton for a discounted price. "Mother, look! There's fresh mutton over there~" He pointed.

"Oh, yes. You and your father always did love mutton." She sighed. "I don't really see the big appeal. Mutton is kind of tough to chew. I much prefer roasted pork or beef."

"But mutton is way more filling!" He tried to insist but his mother continued to disagree. "Well... hey didn't you say you wanted octopus? Lets head over to the fish market and see what they have."

Kushina's face lit up. "Really? You'll get me octopus?"

"Yeah. Anything you want today, mother. Its all on me~"

"Oh! I love my beautiful, handsome boy so much!" She said, pulling Naruto into a big hug, crushing his face between her arms and her chest.

 _'Well that was easy.'_ Naruto relaxed. As long as he kept focusing on his mother and what she enjoyed the most, convincing her of the ban shouldn't be a problem. The two headed over to the fish market to see what they had. The pungent odor of raw fish hung heavily in the air; Naruto kept close to Kushina's side hoping that her perfume would combat the smell. It did little to nothing though.

"Alright. I'll have this and this and oh! Some of that, too!" She pointed, telling the fisherman what she wanted.

"Yes, my queen. I will give a special discount just for you, for gracing me with your beauty and presence today~" The fisherman began to bag the fish she wanted: three octopi, a mackerel, red snapper, and two salmon. Once all had been placed in individual bags, the fisherman handed them to one of the guards. "Have a nice day, my queen." He bowed.

"Thank you! Ah, we're going to have a seafood feast tonight! I can't wait! Its been ages since we had fish."

"Well, this season has been harsh on the environment." Naruto remarked. "I guess even the fishermen have been struggling. I wouldn't be surprised if the salmon came from the river and not the ocean instead."

"Hm... lets see what new herbs and plants are available at the apothecary. I'll need to buy some ginger root for the tea I want to make."

 _'Oh god...'_ Naruto lamented. "Lead the way, mother."

And so Naruto was dragged to the apothecary, where his mother bought more than just ginger root. Mandrake, dandelions, lavender, rose seeds, honeysuckle, roses and mushrooms were just a _few_ of the things she snatched off the shelves. The prince silently began to feel sorry for the guards who were with them that had to carry all this stuff. But the shopkeeper seemed thrilled. The truth was that half of the stuff Kushina was buying was considered low-grade herbs and garbage. Hardly anyone would buy these things unless they had a specific need for them. But Kushina always felt like every plant served a purpose. Even poisonous ones.

"And I'll take this hemlock, too. That should do it."

The shopkeeper added up the price of all the plants, coming to a grand total of one thousand, five hundred gold. The white roses she had picked out were the most expensive out of everything. And since the shopkeeper knew the queen liked them, he deliberately increased the price. Naruto pretended not to notice, and just paid the bill. As Kushina waved good bye promising to drop by again, the prince dragged her out by the arm.

"Mother, come on. Thats enough already." If they had stayed in there any longer, she would have bought out the entire store.

"Ok, ok~" She giggled. "Its been some time since we left, right? Lets return back to the castle. I really want to make this tea now!" She pumped her arm, giving herself a determined look.

"R-right..." That just made Naruto want to stay out even longer. But reluctantly, he headed back home with her. Upon returning to the castle, the servants took the fish to kitchen to be chilled until dinner time. Kushina then asked Naruto to wait for her outside in the garden, then made off with her herbs.

The prince did as he was told, and went outside to go sit in the garden. The castle actually had two gardens; the one in the front was purely for aesthetic purposes and had many rose bushes and hedges. But the one in the back of the castle, however, held many flowers, berries, and even a small hedge maze. Looking beyond the garden, one could see the ocean and smell the salty sea breeze on the air. It made for some nice and eloquent scenery. Perfect for when one's mind needed to clear. The late queen herself was said to have planted this entire garden before passing.

Naruto eventually came across the gazebo located in the center of the garden and sat down. The gazebo had vines growing all around it, and it was made entirely out of marble. The table in the middle was small enough for two people to sit under, and often times Naruto would come out here to read and do his studies, or to spend some leisurely time alone with his grandfather or mother. Those were the only times he would come out here. Any other time when he wished to be totally alone, he would wait until the dead of night and he might take a stroll through the garden or actually go on patrol.

While he waited, a maid came outside with a cart, holding a very fancy and expensive tea set on top. There were also some delectable treats on the cart, and Naruto couldn't help but to take a powdered, jelly-filled donut for himself. He practically stuffed the donut in his mouth before shooing away the maid. She bowed and left as he took hold of yet another donut. _'Ahh, so good~'_

"Ok, Naruto! Its done!" Kushina came running out, holding a large teapot in her hand.

"Mother, don't run! What if you spill that and burn yourself?!"

"Relax~" She said, sitting under the gazebo with Naruto. "I see the maid brought out the tea set and treats like I requested. Yes, these should go along splendidly with my tea~" Naruto grabbed yet another donut to brace himself. "Naruto! Stop stuffing your mouth with those donuts. How will you taste my tea like that!"

"Right. Sorry, mother. I'm ready whenever you are."

"Ok." She began to pour the tea into the cups. She dropped one sugar cube in each and stirred them around. Once the sugar dissolved, she handed the cup off to Naruto. "Go on. Its ready."

Naruto swallowed thickly, as he tentatively took the teacup. He peered at the dark, bitter liquid inside. It almost looked like some unidentifiable goop that a witch would brew. She must have made it with milk instead of water. The longer he stared at it, the more he began to dread it. He immediately wanted to regret everything. "Well... here goes." Naruto brought the tea to his lips.

"...Naruto."

Upon hearing his name, the prince lowered the cup and looked at his mother. "Y-yes? What is it?"

"Tell me something... whats going on? Why are you doing this?"

"What do you mean, mother?" He asked nervously.

Kushina sighed and her brows furrowed. "Don't play dumb with me, young man. You know what I mean! You suddenly wanting to spend time with me today, taking me shopping on the marketplace, complimenting me more than usual, and now you're even drinking my tea?!"

"Uh... I still don't quite get what you mean, mother."

"Naruto..." Kushina leaned forward. "You _never_ accept my invites for tea. Let alone be willing to drink it. I know something's going on here. Now spill it."

 _'Shit.'_ He'd been cornered. And the look on the queen's face showed that she wasn't going to accept any more lies or deceit. Even if he drank the tea now, it would change nothing. He'd lost. Naruto sighed and set the cup down. "Well, mother... the thing is..." He began to fidget as he struggled to find his words. Just what was he going to say? Theres a dragon he's been harboring in his room for three days? That his country was secretly planning to rebel against him? That holy shit if he didn't come up with a response soon he would be grounded from dinner?

Naruto finally gathered his thoughts. "I've decided that I want to change my mind about getting rid of the pact with dragons."

Kushina was slightly taken aback by Naruto's response. "What suddenly made you want to change your mind?"

"Uh... a lot of things." The blonde said, rubbing the back of his head. "But mainly, father. I started thinking about father again and how hard he worked for this country, and how much he loved the dragons. No matter what happened, he always remained loyal to them and they have always remained loyal to us. They have stopped many invasions from other countries over the past decades. Even that rogue dragon, Sasuke, has managed to ward people off. We have been safe and peaceful all this time because of them, right? So whats the point of needlessly killing them? We made a promise and... I don't think its fair anymore to judge them for what happened in the past. Its time to let things go."

Kushina was quiet for a couple of minutes as she listened to Naruto. She didn't say anything, just stared blankly at the prince.

"...mother?"

Suddenly a smile graced her face. "Naruto!" She exclaimed loudly before getting up and pulling the male into her arms. She gave him a tight squeeze and tears flowed from her eyes. "I'm so proud of you! You really are just like your father! I was so afraid that you had lost your way! But look at my little boy! So grown up!"

"A-ah! Mother, I can't breathe!"

"I am SO proud of you, Naruto. I was wondering when you would start coming around again! After what had happened to your father... I thought things would never be the same!"

"W-well... yeah. I just needed some time to gather my thoughts. I started remembering all the things father said and they make sense. So I was wondering if... you would reinstate the ban against hunting dragons?"

"Huh?" Kushina let go of Naruto. "You want me to reinstate the ban? What for?"

"Well..."

While Naruto tried to think of his next words to say, Sasuke stood on the inside of the balcony window, watching them from above the garden. He couldn't quite make out what they were talking about due to the wind and how high up he was, so he could only assume that Naruto was doing what he promised. _'Come on. Whats taking so long? Just tell her!'_ He tapped his foot on the floor impatiently. He began to get anxious. He took a breath and tried to clear his mind. _'Its fine. If it doesn't work, we'll just-'_

"My prince? Have you returned from being out with your mother? I'd like to speak with you a mo... ment..."

Sasuke's eyes widened. He had been so absorbed in the moment that he had neglected to pay attention to the door. When he slowly turned around, he was met with the cold, hard glare of an angry mage. _'Fuuuuck.'_

"DRAGON!" Madara shot a ball of magic at the male without hesitation.

 _'Fuck, fuck, fuck!'_ Sasuke narrowly avoided the blast. When the mage suddenly held up his gauntlets and they lit up with malicious energy, the dragon knew he was doomed. _'Holy fucking hell! This guy means business!'_

"I don't know how you got here, dragon! But I know why you are here... To kill the prince! Well I wont allow that to happen!" Madara held out his hand, charging up another attack.

 _'No, I'm trying to save the prince you idiot!'_ But that argument was just going to fall on deaf ears. Sasuke panicked, looking for an exit. The door was too far away. There was only one option.

"Naruto honey, did you hear something?" Kushina inquired.

"Hear what?"

Just then, the sound of glass shattering was heard, as Sasuke leapt from the balcony window, avoiding the blast of magical energy hitting him by just a hair as it exploded in the air. He spread out his wings and landed on the ground below. "Guards! Theres a dragon on the castle grounds! I repeat, A DRAGON IS PRESENT ON THE GROUNDS!"

"What the fuck?!" Naruto looked up at Madara, and then at Sasuke who was coughing and trying to gather his breath. _'You've got to be shitting me!'_

"My prince, my queen! Get away from that beast!" Madara jumped from the balcony window and landed in between them and the dragon.

"Fuck..." Sasuke glared at the mage. Even though his magic attack made no impact, the aftermath of the blast was still enough to do a good bit of damage to him. "That really fucking hurt you know!"

"Sasuke, the hell is going on?!" Naruto yelled.

"This asshole fucking attacked me out of nowhere!"

"You dumbass! I told you to stay hidden!"

Listening to the exchange, Kushina looked at Naruto in confusion. "Naruto... whats... going on?"

Upon seeing the guards come running out of the castle, Naruto had no time to explain. He ran forward, pushing Madara out of the way and disrupting his next spell. He stood next to Sasuke and then wrapped his cape around him. "No one come any closer!"

"M-my prince? Is that.. really a dragon?!" All the guards halted and stared at the scene in front of them in disbelief. The prince was _protecting a dragon_?!

"Naruto, what is the meaning of this? Have you lost your mind?!" Madara shouted. "Step aside and let me do away with that foul beast! Or better yet, do it yourself! Or have you forgotten your training?"

"No, now shutup! Everyone just shut the hell up!" The prince yelled. He took a deep breath and looked at everyone standing around him. The guards behind him had their swords and shields cautiously pointing at them. Madara's gauntlets were glowing and charged with energy, waiting to unleash an attack at any moment. And his mother just stood there in shock. He was really in a mess. And if he didn't think of something soon, Sasuke would be killed. And not just Sasuke, but probably him too on counts of insanity for protecting a dragon.

"Naruto..." Sasuke whispered, looking at the blonde from under his cape. "Just forget about it. Let them kill me. I knew this wasn't going to work..."

"No! I'm not going to let you die. Just... listen to what I say and try to play along." Naruto then inhaled and uncovered Sasuke. "Listen up, all of you! This dragon, is the rogue dragon Sasuke! The terrorist of the forest!"

"The rogue dragon?!" A guard repeated. "Sasuke?!" Another guard muttered. "Whats he doing here? And why is the prince defending him?!"

 _'Good job, idiot. Now they have another reason to kill me.'_

Naruto continued his speech. "The other night when I went out on patrol, this damn dragon had the nerve to try and attack me by surprise. But as your strong and agile prince, I was able to easily defeat it. But before I took its life, it begged me for mercy. There is no mercy for dragons, however... why get rid of them when they still have so much usefulness?"

"What are you talking about? Explain yourself, Naruto."

Naruto looked at Madara. "I mean, clearly I could have taken this dragon's life and gone about things like normal. But instead, I decided to take it a step further. These creatures think they have the power to rule over us. But it is US who rules them!" Naruto then turned to Sasuke. "On your feet, dragon."

"..." Sasuke stood up.

"Bow."

He bowed.

Naruto then held out his hand to Sasuke's mouth. "Now pledge."

"Tch." Sasuke gritted his teeth. _'This bastard...'_ He dropped to one knee, looked up to Naruto and took his hand. "By oath and by the very fabric of my life, I have sworn to protect this humble prince who dared to show me a sliver of mercy for my hostile actions. I treated this land as if it were my own, when in reality it belongs to the prince. As such, because everything belongs to the prince..." Sasuke planted a soft kiss to Naruto's hand. "I too belong to this prince. I will serve and protect him."

"Hmph." Naruto chuckled. "Very good, dragon. It looks like my days of taming you have really started to pay off~ I'm sure you will make a very fine pet."

"Grr..." Sasuke bit the prince's hand with one of his fangs.

"Ngh... _Sasuke!_ " Naruto grumbled under his breath.

"Yes. I will be the perfect pet for you, my prince."

"Good." Naruto looked at everyone in the garden. "As you can see, I am more fitting of a ruler than you may think. I have tamed the most hostile dragon in this land since the death of my father. Not even my father could accomplish something like this. His life was stolen because... he was weak! But not me! Note that this dragon doesn't even have chains or binds. I have trained him very well, and it is for that reason that I am making him an official royal bodyguard of the prince!"

"What? This is an outrage! A dragon bodyguard? Do you think this is the old times, prince?!" The guards all seemed baffled by the idea and expressed their disagreement.

"Oh? You dare doubt me and deny me my rights as the prince? Tell me, who is the one who is becoming king this year? It is I! And if anyone opposes, then I shall have my dragon char you where you stand!" That made everyone shut their mouth. Now the only person left to convince was Madara. "Madara, what say you?"

"Tch..." The mage stood up straight, and his gauntlets returned to normal. "If... if it is what the prince wants. Then I shall allow it."

"But master Madara!" A guard tried to argue.

"Shut your mouth!" Madara said, pointing at them. "You really think you have the right to argue? Our prince chooses to do what he wishes. He is not betraying the kingdom. He is not abandoning us. He is making a very validated point that under his rule and power, with the power to tame a dragon such as that, that he is ready and willing to fight for and serve our kingdom eternally. And if any of you oppose to that idea, I too shall blast you where you stand." Although it was very obvious in the tone of Madara's voice that he still didn't quite like this decision, he couldn't outright argue against it or deny the prince his wants. His wish was Naruto's command afterall. Even if it meant having to deal with another ugly reptile roaming the castle walls. He would just have to suck it up and complain about it later.

Naruto sighed and nodded. "Very well worded, Madara. You have never once betrayed this family. I am happy to hear that you will stand with me even now." The prince then looked at Kushina. "Mother... no. My queen, do I have your approval as well? Will you help me place a ban on hunting the remaining dragons in the forest? With Sasuke now gone and at my side, no dragon would _dare_ step foot on these grounds now, meaning there wont be a need to keep hunting them. They can just stay there and keep doing us the favor of keeping intruders at bay."

"I... I see. So you have taken this dragon hostage as an intimidation tactic. And you plan on using him to keep the other dragons away. With the ban, the remaining dragons left in the forest will have no choice but to protect us unless they want to be hunted and killed."

"Yes. That is correct."

"Then... I see no reason why I shouldn't reinstate the ban. Guards, arrange a meeting with the Royal Court." The guards all nodded, bowed and left; Madara went with them as well, but not before throwing both Naruto and Sasuke a look. The mage just shook his head and returned to the castle.

"Alright, Sasuke. You can get back up now." Naruto ordered. Sasuke stood back up, and then glared at the blonde. Before the prince could inquire why, the dragon lunged forward and bit him! "O-ow! What the fuck, Sasuke! I save your fucking life and this is how you repay me?!"

"Grrr! You made me get on the ground and beg! I fucking humiliated myself! In front of a bunch of humans! I had to swear loyalty to you?! Bullshit! We already had a deal!" He growled, sinking his teeth harder into the prince's arm.

"Owowow! Come on!" Naruto bellowed. "It was for the act! If I didn't think of something, you would have been killed! Or did you want that to happen?!"

"Anything would have been better than _that_!"

Kushina watched the two bicker among each other. She didn't really understand what the argument was about. In fact she had been half paying attention since everyone had left. But right now, looking at Naruto and how he was acting in front of Sasuke, how he had basically risked his life to save him... no, there was no doubt about it. He really and truly _was_ just like his father afterall. She could almost see the resemblance because it was so striking and yet so familiar. She started to rub her eyes as tears came out on their own.

"What? Mother, whats wrong?!" Naruto asked. He pushed Sasuke's mouth away and ran over to her. "Mother, come on. Please don't cry. Its ok. I promise!" He began to wipe away her tears. "I promise I'm ok! Are you upset that I didn't tell you sooner? I really am sorry. I'll even drink your tea! Come on..."

"Naruto..." She sniffled. "Naruto, I love you." She pulled the blonde into a hug. "I don't really understand why now of all times this is happening but, I want you to know that I'll continue to support you. No matter what choices you make. You'll always be my son and I'll love you each and every day. Just like I loved your father. You're all thats left of him now. And for so long, I was afraid of losing you, too."

"M-mother..." Naruto felt himself blush. "Listen, I'm not going anywhere, ok? I have Sasuke by my side now. And he is going to protect me. And right now, I need all the protection and support I can get now that my coronation day is coming up this year. I'm not a little kid anymore. I... I have to step up and do whats right for both me and my kingdom. And the dragons don't deserve to needlessly suffer. I know I'll never be exactly like father, but I'll definitely be as strong if not stronger than he was."

Kushina nodded. "Ok... Ok thats all I wanted to hear." She let him go and then turned her attention to Sasuke. "Sasuke, is it? Thank you. Thank you for pledging loyalty to my son. I don't quite understand whats going on entirely, but I do know that you must have restored some kind of faith of dragons back in my boy. I am in your debt." She bowed.

"U-uh! No, thats... please don't bow." He sighed. This situation was getting awkward. "I'm only doing this to protect my own kind. My loyalty has very little to do with that idiot."

"Hey!"

"But if you're really that happy to have me here, then I will do my best to serve and protect you as well." Sasuke nobly bowed his head. "My queen."

"Oh my! What a gentleman!" Kushina exclaimed, bringing a hand to her lips. "Naruto, you should take notes!"

"Hey, who's serving who here?!" The blonde griped. "Anyway, yeah. Sasuke's kind of the reason I wanted you to reinstate the hunting ban. He actually came to me with a proposal. The truth is... there was no fight or anything. He just wanted to protect both me and the dragons."

"Oh I know." Kushina said. "Did you really think I bought that whole speech? You said you spent the past few days taming him ever since coming back from patrol that night, right? Why then..." Kushina walked over to Sasuke and pointed. "Is there not a single mark on his body? Hm?"

 _'She even noticed that much?'_ The queen was actually smarter than he initially thought. "Guess you're busted~" Sasuke stuck his tongue out at Naruto.

"Shutup you bastard..." Naruto muttered under his breath, loud enough for the dragon to hear.

"I see. So you two negotiated and came to an agreement beforehand. There was just the matter of keeping Sasuke a secret until you talked to me. I see. If he is your designated bodyguard, then there is nothing the Court can argue against, even if he's a dragon. Our family still allows dragons to serve us, as long as they have been properly trained. And then once the ban is put into place, nothing else can be done about the others."

"I know. I was surprised at how smart he was, too." Sasuke said with a smirk.

"I hate you both..."

"Well, I guess I have no problems with it, Naruto. You are all grown up and soon to become king. I will happily talk to the Court. But only if you promise to have tea with me everyday!" Kushina chirped.

"What? Now thats taking it too far!"

The queen laughed and Sasuke just let out a little _'Hmph.'_ as he shook his head. Things may not have gone as smoothly as they had planned, but he had to hand it to Naruto. He figured it out better than the dragon himself ever could. From here on out, it should be smooth sailing.


	5. Chapter 5

**~:** ✞ **:~**

As the sun began to shine more and more, spring looked like it was finally starting to set in the kingdom. The snow slowly began to dissipate, the sky was clearer, and just a few tiny buds peaked through. But the air was still bitter and cold. Just because the snow would become rain, didn't mean that nature had intended for it to get warmer yet. However, it was the start to a brighter, less bleak season.

Sasuke grumbled as he struggled to put on the armor that was crafted for him. It felt bulky and heavy, and overall unnecessary to the dragon. He absolutely hated the way the iron boots made his feet drag. And while he was a fan of the gauntlets, he didn't take a liking to the wing armor. He sighed, as the guard in front of him made no attempts to help him fit it on. This had become a morning routine ever since officially becoming Naruto's bodyguard two weeks ago. Sasuke had to go through a bout of grueling training by doing pathetic chores and exercises, and even had to be able to detect guards waiting to ambush him should he ever find himself in an unknown situation with the prince. He really hated the castle life, and regretted not staying hidden when Naruto told him to. However, there was one thing he did at least enjoy, but only because it meant he could get _away_ from the castle. And that was training.

Sasuke sighed in frustration, finally managing to get the silver and gold armor on. The armor glistened a bit, as it had been polished. Gauntlets protected his claws, leaving an opening underneath so that he could still grip and slash at his enemies; it looked similar to the boots that adorned his feet, saving enough room for the sharp claws on his feet to do the same. He also wore shoulder armor, with boar tusks protruding from them so that no one would be able to grab him from behind. He had to admit that was pretty badass. The wing armor was minuscule, as it only protected his joints from being damaged. And lastly the tip of his tail was fitted with a sharp, scythe-like spike at the end which he could use to slash at unsuspecting foes. If he hadn't looked like a fearsome enough dragon beforehand, he certainly did now.

His wings came out, and he flew upwards into the sky as he departed away from the kingdom grounds. As he did so, he took the moment to look down on the kingdom; there were a few people out and the marketplace was as busy as usual. He allowed himself to take in the brief sight as he headed for the kingdom border. Once there, he landed and then walked through the giant gates leading to the forest. He was silent as he tread along the path, and then eventually turned into a completely different direction. Once he reached a familiar spot in the forest, he stopped. Standing out in the open was a peculiar silver haired man wearing casual clothing and a black mask covering his lower face.

"Alright. I'm ready."

"Are you?" The man replied nonchalantly. His face was buried in a book he had been reading.

"Tch..." Sasuke scowled. "Put down the damn book and fight me!" The dragon got into an offensive stance, challenging the man.

But the man only sighed. "You need to learn better control of your temper, Sasuke. Or else someone could take advantage of it."

"Oh yeah? Well right now you're taking advantage of my patience, old man!"

"Am I?" He casually turned a page in his book.

The more Sasuke talked to this man, the more annoyed he got. Standing before him was one of the strongest known knights in the kingdom: Kakashi Hatake. While he wasn't a member of the royal family, it was said that he was one of the very first knights established in the kingdom and has served the family for a couple of generations. There was even a rumor that he once scared off a dragon by simply staring at it. Although no one knows if its true or not. Even though he was retired from being a knight, Kakashi still oversaw much of the family and kingdom, and offered advice to the queen. His rank right now was the chamberlain of the castle; an official of the family who manages the household of a monarch or noble. In other words, he was the one responsible for every little thing that affects the king, queen, or their family. Which now includes Sasuke.

"If you are going to become a bodyguard worthy of protecting the prince, you are going to have to do much more than just stand there growling at me, Sasuke~" He chuckled.

"Alright... fine." Sasuke roared as mystic smoke surrounded him, and took on the appearance of his dragon form. And then without a moment's notice, charged head-on at the man. "Take this!" He snarled, bringing one of his claws down on him.

Kakashi didn't move an inch, and waited for the dragon's claw to drop down. And when the dragon thought that all was said and done, suddenly the man walked out from behind him, clapping his hands. "Well done, Sasuke. You mastered being able to miss your target. Now try hitting it!"

 _'Motherfucker...'_ Sasuke turned his head and glared at him. He was really getting tired of Kakashi's mocking attitude and he was sure to have him burned to a crisp by the end of this training session.

Meanwhile, Naruto was in the middle of his own training with Madara. He panted heavily as he ran all across the courtyard, narrowly dodging Madara's attacks. Once he had an opening, the prince brought his hands together. "Rasengan!" A glyph quickly appeared and Naruto shot out a powerful orb of wind at the mage.

Madara was quickly able to counter it by shooting a fireball at the orb. The shockwave from the collision of the two attacks meeting blasted both of them back several feet. "Impressive, Naruto. You are mastering your wind skills quite nicely. Soon you will be as good as your father."

"Hmph." Naruto chuckled, wiping sweat from his forehead. "You kidding? I plan to be BETTER than my father!"

"Well, we'll have to see about that~" Madara cast an ice spell, making thin, sharp needles appear in the air and then swiftly hone in on the prince.

 _'Oh come on!'_ Ice definitely wasn't Naruto's favorite elements to counter. Not only did it make everything cold, causing him to move slower, but some of the ways it could be manipulated was totally unfair. For instance, if you found yourself surrounded by ice or encased in a prison, you were fucked. And the only way to evade an ice trap was to use fire magic. Which, needless to say, Naruto didn't have. So far he had only managed to master wind. He did try fire _once_. But that was it. Just once. He felt too bad to try it again after burning his mother's garden.

As the prince desperately tried to evade the ice needles, a loud roar, agitated was heard in the distance which came from the forest. _'Heh. Keep trying, Sasuke~'_ Naruto chuckled to himself. Kakashi was probably giving him a hard time again. After all, the man was responsible for taking on multiple dragons at one time in the past before retiring. As he was distracted, the prince failed to realize Madara homing in on him. "Sh-shit!" The prince was punched in the gut, and then knocked back with earth magic that pounded him into a pillar, causing it to split in half.

"Pay attention, Naruto." The mage frowned, waiting for the dust to settle.

The prince coughed as he lied defeated on the ground. He was actually surprised he was able to take that hit directly. Or maybe Madara was just holding back. He hoped to the gods that Madara _was just_ holding back. "Fuck... I don't think I can keep doing this anymore."

"On your feet, prince."

Naruto shakily stood back up. His body was weak and exhausted. He had been practicing since dawn and noon was already beginning to creep on him. He was starting to feel the after effects of his training as the adrenaline in his system wore off. He tried to give it another shot, but only ended up stumbling and hitting the ground again. "Damn it..."

"I guess we'll have to stop here." Madara sighed. He walked over and held out his hand to the prince, helping him back up. "Even though I am impressed with your wind magic, you really need to work on your resistance to other elements. Typically, an average person should be able to master two elements at a time. But you can only master one."

"Yeah well... its not easy." Naruto exhaled.

"Your father could harness the power of light along with wind. Light has very few weaknesses minus dark. If you could muster that kind of energy within yourself, your resistance to other elements will go up substantially."

"About that... couldn't I just fucking use Sasuke as a shield? I mean, he's a dragon. And he's going to be guarding me. I'm sure a _dragon_ of all things could resist whatever the hell you threw at it."

"That isn't quite true. For instance, most dragons are weak to water. What will you do if your dragon is doused and unable to use fire? Then you would be vulnerable to ice. Thats why I keep pushing you to become more resilient. And another thing, you can't rely on the dragon to do all the work of protecting you. Your dragon knows that it is the only thing capable of protecting you. If you force it to do too much, it will become exhausted quite quickly. And then you will have to not only focus on yourself, but your dragon as well. Thats something you can't afford to do in battle and eventually you'll have to make a decision."

Naruto listened carefully to Madara's words. He truly had a lot of wisdom about dragons and fighting alongside him. Well, he supposed it was necessary for the mage to know these things since he had been serving the family for far longer than any of the other guards. His knowledge in magic and the unique ability to wield multiple elements were hard to rival, and the pure energy he harnessed allowed him to live longer than an ordinary human. Not to mention dragons served the kingdom for decades before the war began.

"I see..." Naruto replied, thinking to himself. "Then shouldn't Sasuke know a way to prevent any harm being done to both himself and me as well?"

"That is why Kakashi is training him. Honestly, the sooner that damn rampaging beast learns to control itself, the better. For a dragon that caused panic among the kingdom yet was careful enough to never step foot near the grounds, it certainly doesn't take much to taunt him. He's just as dumb as every other dragon that has fallen into our traps."

Naruto wanted to retort against that, but he held his tongue. Naturally, not everyone, Madara included thought well of Sasuke and viewed him as nothing but trouble. His previous reputation didn't help and for some reason Sakura didn't come around as often. If his mere presence here was enough to ward off even another dragon, then it said a lot about the mysterious dragon. And for whatever reason, it intrigued Naruto. Perhaps after their training today, the blonde could get to know more about the male.

While the prince and the mage decided to rest, Sasuke continued to try to land a hit on Kakashi. He shot out several fireballs at the knight, who just seemed to be power walking away whilst holding the book he refused to let his eyes leave.

"Come now. Is that really all you have? You've missed every shot. You need to focus."

"I AM FOCUSING!" The dragon roared. "Just... stop moving! And put down that stupid book already!" Sasuke grimaced as he swiftly swung his tail at the silver haired man and knocked the book out of his hands.

Kakashi seemed to be surprised as he looked at the book on the ground. "Well done, Sasuke. You got an indirect hit." He turned toward the dragon. "Now you're thinking with your head and not your strength."

"What are you talking about?"

"Lets say for instance that book was my weapon. And I've been trying to pursue you with it. Obviously you have no defense against it and can't risk me hitting a weak point, such as your wings." He pointed out. "So naturally, you would want to get rid of my weapon first and then follow up with an attack." Kakashi picked the book back up, only to have it blasted out of his hand by a searing hot fireball. "Nn!" The knight shook his hand and blew on it. "You're a quick learner I see~"

"Hmph. So the book was what I needed to be focused on..."

Kakashi nodded. "Thats right. I'm glad you finally figured it out. Now we can work on your next round of training. First of all, its good that you have such strong firepower, but you'll just exhaust yourself if all you do is continuously shoot flames. All dragons have a limit. What will you do once you run out?"

"Tch. That wont happen."

"Are you sure? Right now, your chest is heaving and smoke is coming from your nostrils. Those are two indications that you are running low on fire. And it takes a long time for a dragon to recover in order to use its breath again. So then what? You are resorted to using your tail and claws. But that wont be enough against a powerful foe or multiple enemies."

"You think you're powerful?"

"Well lets see..." Kakashi put a hand on his chin in thought.

"That wasn't a serious question damn it!"

The knight chuckled in amusement. "But you know, you might even find yourself fighting in the rain. Spring is coming up, Sasuke. And the weather wont be forgiving to a fire-breathing dragon. In order to breathe fire, you must have your body temperature at a certain degree or it will fail. Water can quickly cool you off, and the only thing you'll be able to manage is making smog."

"So whats your point? Just keep myself hot?"

"No. The point is, even without your breath, you aren't useless. Like using smog for example will allow you to conceal yourself or make a quick getaway should you ever find yourself in an unfavorable position. I'm assuming that might be how Naruto snuck you into the kingdom?"

"Well... no actually. I climbed over the wall when the coast was clear but..." Sasuke looked away. "That actually could have worked..."

"Precisely. We'll talk about this some more tomorrow, but for now your training ends here. Start thinking about what you can do to enhance your strategy when fighting, not just your power. Remember, you aren't fighting to protect yourself; you are also protecting Naruto. And..." Kakashi looked around. "If you aren't careful, you might kill him instead." The knight then picked up the burnt book, dusted it off, and left the forest.

Sasuke looked at the damage done. Everything that Kakashi had set up to be used for training purposes had been destroyed, while the trees he breathed fire at were burned to charcoal. Sasuke took it upon himself to put out any remaining flames or cinders to keep a forest fire from happening. Sifting through all the debris, you could hardly tell what was what. When it donned on the dragon that any one of these single items could have been Naruto, the dragon snapped his teeth in agitation. _'Damn it.'_ Once more, mystic smoke surrounded him as he transformed back into his human form.

Of course Sasuke understood that his duty was to protect the prince, but the more he realized just how much _protecting_ he was actually going to have to do, the more frustrated he became. And it was odd of him to feel that way. Wasn't his whole purpose of being here and doing all of this because he _wanted_ to protect Naruto? Well yes obviously. The dragon had to do so or otherwise, both of them would end up dead. But that wasn't what irritated Sasuke. _Why_ did Naruto's kingdom want to overthrow him? For money? Political power? Or to just be rid of dragons eternally. And if dragons were the reason, then why were they still one of the very last kingdoms to protect them?

The more the male tried to piece together things in his mind, the more shrouded with questions Sasuke became. He had been eavesdropping here and there since being allowed to stay at the castle, but all the guards seemed to have become eerily compliant with the prince ever since making his decision as having Sasuke work as his bodyguard. Something just wasn't right. And Sasuke couldn't rid himself of the feeling. After taking a breather, he spread his wings and returned to the castle.

As the day began to fade into the late afternoon, Naruto took the time to go upstairs to his room and take off his torn and tattered training gear, take a quick bath, and change into his princely attire and prepare himself for dinner. Before that, however, he decided to read up some more on dragons and how they were used in the past before the war began. Maybe there was something he could use in case he and Sasuke ever found themselves in a bind. The blonde walked over to his dusty book shelf, and pulled out a book. He wiped off the cover, noting that it had honestly been a while since he sat down and actually read something other than lectures or magic spells. He almost started to reminisce of the times where he would be sitting in his grandfather's lap and listen to him read stories. Just as he sat down on the chesterfield in front of the fireplace, the door to his room opened. The person intruding was Sasuke.

"Mind your manners, dragon. Knock next time." Naruto said a bit smugly, just to mess with the male.

"Tch. Maybe I should burn the door down. Then I wouldn't have to worry about such things, hm?" The dragon exhaled heavily as he decided to plop down in a chair next to the couch.

"How was training with Kakashi today? Did you learn anything?"

"Why? You going to mock me?"

"No. I was just asking. Ugh. You are always so defensive. I hope you know that if you get too cocky out in battle, or in front of our enemies, you're going to get us both killed!"

" _Me_?" Sasuke said offensively. "Don't you mean _you_? If you don't stay out of my way, you'll just be caught up in the crossfire. If I have to protect us, it would be much better if you were just out of sight."

Naruto shut the book he was reading and sat up. "Are you kidding me? How are you going to manage if something happens to you without me around? What if you get doused with water? Or fall into a trap? Who the hell do you think is going to get you out?! Dragons don't have a knight in shining armor like princesses you know." The prince chuckled.

"Heheh. Nah. Instead I get to have this blonde idiot who is the appointed ruler of a kingdom that apparently wants nothing to do with him."

"...you didn't have to remind me you know."

Sasuke paused. "...shit. Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No its alright." Naruto leaned back. "Of course I'll make sure not to screw up or anything but... I don't want anything bad to happen to you either. We're working together, right?"

"Yeah." The dragon nodded. "Even if we _do_ have to end up facing off against your kingdom, I'll do my best to try and protect you. Because thats what the dragons of Konoha swore to do."

 _'The dragons of this kingdom...'_ Naruto repeated in his mind. "Hey Sasuke, could you tell me more about the dragons of this land? Like, where do they originate from? What made them want to defend us so much?"

"You want to know more about the dragons here? Well..." Sasuke stared up at the ceiling. "Maybe one day, I'll take you out into the forest and you can see for yourself. But only if you can them alive long enough." He chided.

"Oh fuck you." Naruto threw a pillow at the male.

Sasuke laughed lightly as he caught the pillow in his hand. "...As far as I know, based on what I've heard and have been told, the dragons of Konoha have always lived in this land and it has always been their duty to protect the kingdom. Even during the war, when dragons were no longer trusted, they all held fast. Eventually, dragons were fighting other dragons to defend their land. And then those humans who were in power used that to their advantage by stating that the dragons never cared for people and only wanted their land and wealth. So after the war ended, all dragons were banished from human settlements to fend for themselves. Some dragons continued to fight each other, over territory or food. But there were others who still remained loyal to the people and land they served, and so continued to protect humans. Funny, isn't it?" He asked as he looked at Naruto. "People started calling dragons greedy monsters that hoard treasure and kidnap princesses to build their own fortress, but it was actually people who became greedy out of fear."

"Greedy out of fear?"

"Yeah. Once people saw just how strong and capable dragons were, they became afraid. And wanted nothing to do with us. So they took every last bit of resources they had and then threw dragons out of their lives as if we were some rat living in their house." Sasuke sighed. "Humans became cold and distant to the one thing that offered them help and protection, and still are. But you know... I heard a lot of rumors that your father used to go to the forest a lot in the past before he died. Apparently he used to talk to the dragons there, and would try and understand them. I guess your old man really was serious about protecting them. I can see why there was conflict between your kingdom and others."

"So you knew father?"

"No. I never knew him personally but... I knew someone who did. My brother."

"You have a brother?!" Naruto inquired with intrigue.

"I... used to. He died. Well actually, he was slain. I'm not sure why but... he stepped foot on the kingdom grounds and he was killed."

"Oh." The blonde looked at Sasuke apologetically. "Did you ever find out why?"

"No. All I know is before he did it, he kept talking to himself. He said he kept hearing a voice beckon him. And he needed to know where it was coming from. I just kept trying to tell him to ignore it, but... he didn't listen."

"A voice beckoning him?"

"Yeah. I don't know what he meant by that but ever since then, I kept trying to find out. I've heard other dragons say the same thing. That they can sometimes hear a voice calling out to them. And it becomes so hypnotizing that they aren't even aware of their surroundings."

"It sounds like a trick! Or a trap!"

Sasuke looked at the prince and nodded. "Yeah. Thats what I thought, too. It seems like the voice calls out to them, and lures them to the kingdom. Then they're killed. So I took it upon myself to make sure no dragon was close enough to the border to hear the voice. And it actually looked like it started to work. As I kept the annoying ass guards and hunters away, none of the dragons fell into their traps."

"Wow. Thats.. crazy, Sasuke. I'm sorry all of this bullshit keeps happening to you. If I had known that you were doing all of that just to protect everyone, then maybe... maybe I wouldn't be hating dragons as much as I am now. Its true that the death of my father was caused by one but.. just like how not all people are bad, not all dragons are bad either I guess." He admitted, though his voice got lower towards the last part. "But honestly, you're pretty amazing, Sasuke. You could have just gone rogue and killed people out of spite or revenge for what they did to your brother. But you didn't, because you knew it wouldn't solved anything. So you decided to work things out instead and keep your promise of protecting us. Thats awfully humble for a dragon."

"Me? _Amazing_?" Sasuke laughed lightly. "I'm nothing amazing. I'm just some rogue dragon that every human in existence hates just because I wont let them eradicate the rest of my kind. And then to top it all off, I have to become a bodyguard to a prince who's kingdom I should hate just to further protect my kind. Yet... here the fuck I am. Clueless and oblivious to everything. I'm just acting accordingly like some puppet on a string, praying that if I just play my part right, everything will go smoothly. But who am I kidding... I'm just doing this to save my own hide at this point, aren't I? I'm just doing this so that I don't end up dead.. like my brother. When I think about it like that, sometimes I wonder why exactly I'm still alive."

Naruto listened to the dragon as he seemed to go off on a personal tangent. This was the first time the prince had ever seen the dragon actually doubt himself. It was quite surprising, since Sasuke had been having this holier than thou attitude ever since their first encounter. Eventually the blonde mustered up the words to respond.

"Look Sasuke, the truth is none of us know why we're alive. We just are and we have to deal with it and survive or die. And I can't even come up with a reason myself for why you are the way you are. But if there is a reason, then I want it to be a good one. I think father honestly knew that dragons were never bad and wanted to protect them. But things just happened to end up badly anyway. Now I have to stand in for him, and hope to the gods that this country won't fall. Because if we lose the last things that actually want to keep us here, then there will just be an endless war between humans and magical users who think that one is better than the other. At least with dragons around, we are forced to believe that we are all equal." He argued. "At least, thats what father believed."

"Your father said that? That we're equal?"

"Heheh, yeah. Its crazy right? I mean, who would believe such a hair brained theory. Thats why my kingdom was always targeted by other countries; because he didn't fall into the new ways of thinking and many people believed he was going senile or crazy. But I can honestly say that everyone in my family was like that. Mother, father, grandfather and... even my grandmother before she passed. Even she loved dragons." Naruto looked at Sasuke. "But don't get it mixed up you overgrown lizard. I'm doing this for my family; I'm doing this for _myself_. Remember, I still don't even know if I can trust you, but I don't have a choice. In the end, it doesn't matter if we're going along because we have to. We're doing this because we _need_ to. Right?"

"...right."

"Ok then. So I don't want to hear any more of your soap opera bullshit about life or death. We have a lot of shit on our plates and the last thing we need right now is for depression to creep up on us."

"Yeah. You're right." He took the pillow Naruto had previously chucked at him and threw it back at the male. "So that means I'm stuck with you unfortunately."

"Don't start!" The blonde said, flinching when the pillow hit his face. As much as the prince didn't want to admit it, he was actually glad that Sasuke was with him right now. There would be no way he would be able to talk about things like this, especially about his father. But Sasuke was so good at taking things in stride that he felt genuinely safe bringing up things from the past and asking questions. _'Maybe there really isn't a need to worry about anything. He probably just wants to escape his normal life as a dragon...'_

After settling down for about an hour, dinner time was slowly beginning to approach. A servant came to Naruto's room, and requested Sasuke's assistance with setting the table. The dragon groaned, not wanting anything to do with it, but had no choice but to accept. He walked downstairs into the dining hall, where the succulent smell of fresh mutton wafted in the air.

"Ok Sasuke, you may start setting the table now." The servant instructed. "I'm going to go check on the food's progress, but I will be back to make sure everything is in order as well."

Sasuke just rolled his eyes as he watched the servant leave the room. Of all things he could be doing, why setting the damn table? While it was true that dragons who served families were supposed to help with medial chores and housework from time to time, what exactly would he be learning from setting a table? And how would this even benefit in combat? He sighed as he unfolded a long table cloth, tossed it upwards, and then began to spread it out onto the table. While he was doing so, the door to the dining hall opened and someone rolled a cart in. It was Sakura.

"..." Sakura glanced at the male but didn't say a word as she carefully brought the long cart carrying fancy dishes, glasses, and tableware on it.

Sasuke just continued to silently spread the rest of the cloths on the table. He hadn't said a word to the dragoness since threatening her. And he had honestly been trying to avoid another confrontation, but for some reason the air around them only seemed to get thicker. Naruto had also caught onto this and wasn't too happy about it. The dragoness would stop going to the prince's room whenever Sasuke was around, and would even flat out ignore her duties just to avoid him.

 _'Of all people to come in here right now, why did it have to be her?'_ The dragon grumbled. But he wasn't completely innocent; he _did_ threaten to take her life. So it wasn't as if he did nothing wrong. Not only that, but since he started living the castle life, something he was completely disgusted that Sakura was doing so nonchalantly, he was now beginning to look more like a hypocrite as he went along to do whatever tasks the people told him to do. Nonetheless, he couldn't allow this tension between him and the dragoness to continue or the guards and Naruto would get on his ass about Sakura not doing her work properly and blaming it on him. So of course he was going to have to apologize. _'But just how the fuck am I going to do that? She wont even look at me.'_ He thought to himself, picking up a glass. Just as he began to place it on the table, a delicate hand grabbed his wrist.

"Um..."

Sasuke turned his head, and was surprised to see Sakura standing next to him. "What? What is it?!"

"That glass doesn't go there. It belongs on the right side of the plate. Also, you're supposed to hold wine glasses like this..." Sakura took the glass and showed Sasuke the proper way to hold it.

"I see." He picked up another glass and mimicked the way the dragoness showed him. When he did it correctly, Sakura just bowed her head and got back to setting the rest of the table. Sasuke groaned to himself. This awkward silence was really starting to bug him. "So uh... whats the point of doing this? Can't these pompous windbags just do this themselves?"

"..."

"Why bother having countless servants if they wont even set the damn table? Why make us do it?"

"..."

"Tch." Sakura's lack of a response was starting to piss Sasuke off. Maybe he needed to try a more direct approach to getting her to speak to him again. "So, if you hold the wine glass this way..." Sasuke picked the glass up by the stem. "You'll end up clenching it too tightly and... oops." The male snapped the stem of the glass in half, and the top fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.

Sakura said nothing as she walked over to clean up the glass pieces.

"Oh come on! I know that had to have pissed you off! Say something!" But the dragoness remained quiet. "Are you just going to ignore me forever now? So you really are just a coward, huh?"

"..."

Sasuke sighed. "Look... I'm sorry. What I said to you that time in Naruto's room... I was just upset and I admit it was a little out of line. I'm not going to hurt you or anything. I mean, what would I have to gain from it?"

For a few brief moments there was nothing but more silence in the air before Sakura finally stood to her feet and looked up at Sasuke. "Oh. Ok."

The male's eyebrow twitched. "What do you mean _ok_?!"

"...heh." It was faint, but there was the softest chuckle that left Sakura's lips.

"Oh, you think this is funny?"

"Kind of. You seemed to be rather upset that I wasn't speaking to you, even though thats what you wanted in the first place." She commented. "The prince was right. You really are an interesting dragon."

"Huh? What did Naruto say about me? Wait, I thought you weren't talking to him."

"I simply speak to him when you aren't around." She shrugged. "But he mostly just comments on how you always have this know-it-all attitude around you. Oh and how your face makes him angry to look at from time to time."

"Oh yeah? Well he isn't the prettiest thing to look at either."

Sakura chuckled. "But even still, you enjoy his company do you not?"

"Well... yeah. I guess so." Sasuke had to take a pause to look the dragoness over. She seemed almost like a totally different person now that he was actually able to hold somewhat of a conversation with her. He could kind of see why Naruto enjoyed speaking with her. "But you know, I really am sorry about what I said. I wasn't trying to run you off or anything, just trying to... I don't know..."

"Make a point that you're going to be the only one around to protect the prince? Yes I know. I could hear it in your voice."

Sasuke tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"You don't want anyone else going near Naruto, correct? That is fine. Whatever you and the prince does is no business of mine."

"Whatever we do is no business of-.. hey wait a minute! That isn't what I meant!"

The dragoness gave Sasuke a wry smile and proceeded to set the other side of the table. "But to be honest with you, I understood where you were coming from. Being a dragon that was born wild and free and isolated in a forest; making it your duty to protect other dragons. And then coming here to see another dragon living lavishly without a care in the world. If I had to be honest, I would have gotten upset, too. Its true. I really am useless as a dragon, but as a servant of the royal family, there is at least something I can do. I gave up on being a _dragon_ a long time ago. I knew that I would never be free and I accepted it. As long as it keeps me alive..."

"What are you saying? You still _are_ a dragon! Whether you believe so or not! You have wings, claws, and fangs! You breathe fire! You are not human!"

"You can say all of that but is it really true?" She asked. "Look at me. My wrists are in cuffs. My wings are chained. I have a magic collar that disables me from breathing fire. I am living among humans and doing menial tasks that humans do. Nothing about me is something that a dragon does or should look like. Correct? So as such, I carry out my duties and live life as a person instead."

"Bullshit!" Sasuke snorted. He walked around the table and stood over her. "If you stand there and let the humans take away everything from you, then the last thing you _should_ hold on to is your blood! No matter what you do, or where you stay, you are a dragon. And also, you have been serving this family for years. You have lived among people for years, yet they still do not treat you as human. Otherwise, you would not be bound in chains. Isn't that right?"

"W-well I..."

"Show me your hands."

"..." Sakura held out her hands.

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke grabbed hold of the shackles binding her wrists and broke them. "If they can't accept you even now, after everything you have done for them, then they will _never_ accept you, Sakura." He said, looking the dragoness in the eyes. "But the first person who should have, was me. And I should have realized that sooner. I'm sorry."

Sakura was speechless as she looked at the man standing before her. Somehow, this felt like a completely different person than whom she had met the first time in the prince's room. The air around him wasn't as cold or chilling. She genuinely could feel the heartfelt apology and sincerity in Sasuke's words. It was enough, just enough, to make her smile. "Th... thank you. No one has ever said anything that kind to me. Let alone apologized for something that they previously told me."

"Yeah. You're welcome. Um..." Sasuke scratched the back of his head. "Sakura I just want you to know, that if you have any problems or anything on your mind... or if someone is giving you issue in the castle, you can come to me about it. And I'll sort them out for you. Because its not just my job to protect the prince, but other dragons as well."

"Ok." The pink haired dragoness grinned. "Although, there are some days where I wish I could escape this place. And have my own children, and become a beautiful and strong warrior who lived among other dragons..."

"Trust me, Sakura. As long as I am here, I'll make sure your dream becomes a reality. When Naruto becomes king on his coronation day, he wont need me around anymore. And on that day, I swear I will take you into the forest to meet the other dragons. And you can spend the rest of your days living there peacefully without being bound by chains."

"I look forward to it." Sakura grinned before checking the clock. "Oh! Its almost time for dinner! I will go let the chef know that the table has been set. Sasuke, will you alert the late king, the queen, the prince, and Madara that dinner is almost ready?"

"Yeah. I'll go now."

"Thank you." The girl gave a bow to Sasuke before leaving the dining hall.

Sasuke sighed as he glanced around the room. He felt like he had this great weight lifted off his shoulders for some reason. Maybe things really were going to be ok. Nothing had happened since his time here in the castle; possibly because now that whoever was pulling the strings knew that killing Naruto would now be next to impossible, there wasn't anything that they could do without raising suspicion. _'Yeah. Its fine. As long as I'm around, nothing will happen.'_

After leaving the dining hall himself, Sasuke went on to alert the family that dinner would be ready. Everyone finished priming themselves up and headed downstairs to engage in the feast. There were so many delectable items spread out on the table that Sasuke didn't even know where to start. Of course, he was allowed to eat dinner with the family every night, but he still was not used to having such grand food readily available each day. There were some times where he even skipped out on meals every couple days because he felt like he was eating _too_ much.

"Sasuke, you're drooling again!" Naruto said, smacking a napkin over his mouth.

"Mmf!" Sasuke took the napkin and frowned. "Its not my fault the food looks better than you. And smells better, too~"

"What was that you damn dragon?!"

"Boys, no fighting at the table please!" Kushina scolded. A laugh came from Jiraiya who was sitting across from them.

Madara, however, wasn't so chipper. "I agree with your mother. You two should at least act like you can stand each other's presence for more than five minutes. What will the guards think? Or the people? I understand that this is all new to the both of you; it is for us, too. But if you continue acting out like that, then no one will be able to take either of your roles seriously."

"Y-yes, Master Madara." Naruto mumbled, looking back down at his plate.

"Also Sasuke, I have heard from Kakashi that your training is going well."

"Hm? Oh, yes." The male nodded. "Just as long as this guy stays out of my way, everything is good~" Sasuke chuckled when Naruto hit him in the arm after that retort. "I only kid. But I believe I am more than capable of protecting the prince. Now, if I could do less chores and more actual guard work, that would be even better."

"Calm yourself, dragon." Madara frowned. "Being a dragon serving the royal family, your job is to do just that: _serve_. Yes, protecting the prince is your top priority but it is highly doubtful that someone would do him any harm while in the castle."

Sasuke gave a slight turn of his head to side eye the mage. "You really think so?"

"I do. As long I'm around, you aren't needed as far as I am concerned. You can go back to the forest and continue playing hide and seek where you can do what you wish. Or, you can remain here and do your job accordingly."

 _'This guy really pisses me off.'_ It was so obvious to Sasuke that Madara was trying everything in his power to blow the dragon off, that it only made Sasuke even more irritated. He didn't have any firm reason to believe that Madara wasn't capable of his job, but the mage was still a pain in the ass regardless. "Great. Then that means if I stay here and do my job, _you_ wont be needed, Mr. Mage. How about that?"

Madara slammed his fist on the table. "What was that dragon?! You better watch your tongue!"

"Why? Are you going to cut it off if I don't? What good is a mage that couldn't even protect a king from dying anyway!"

Madara stood up and his hands began to glow. Sasuke also stood up, getting into an offensive position, ready to blow the mage away as soon as he began casting.

"Thats enough!" Kushina's voice boomed through the room. "Sit down! Both of you!" Both of the men gave each other hard glares before sitting back down. "I do not want to hear any more bickering for the rest of the night! For gods sake, this family is all we have left. Bringing up whom we have lost isn't helping a thing. Thats why we've got to rely on each other." Everyone remained silent as the queen spoke. "I know its hard to accept, even I am still finding things difficult to cope with. But I will not tolerate this constant bashing of each other. Especially not of one another's abilities to protect someone." She sighed. "It doesn't matter who is working the hardest or not; what matters is that you all are trying your best to keep this kingdom from falling."

"Yes, my queen. Please forgive my rude and sudden outburst." Madara apologized.

"It is fine, Madara. I understand that you have a dislike for dragons. And Sasuke, I understand that you have a dislike for humans. But what I am the most grateful for is the fact that you are both willing to put aside your differences just to help the kingdom. And that is really all that I can ask for."

"Yes. I'm sorry, too." Sasuke bowed his head.

"It is fine. Now let us enjoy the rest of this meal. Naruto, I need to speak to you later on tonight. Please have your door open for me."

"Yes, mother."

And the rest of dinner time was silent as everyone ate. Madara was the first to finish before leaving the room. Everyone else eventually followed suit. Sasuke was waiting for Naruto before leaving, but was held up by guards who commanded him to clean up the table and help Sakura with the dishes. The dragon groaned and reluctantly got to work.

Meanwhile, Naruto returned to his room and began changing into his silken nightwear. He thought back on the words exchanged during dinner and exhaled. Things were really starting to heat up now that Sasuke was staying in the castle. Most of the servants wanted nothing to do with him, the guards brushed him off, and Madara wouldn't stop filing complaints about every little thing that turned up broken and pointed the finger at Sasuke. The prince started to wonder how much longer things like this would go on. Before long, a knock sounded at his door.

"Come in."

The door opened and Kushina wandered inside. "Naruto, honey!" She chimed, going over to the prince and giving him a hug.

"Ah. Hello, mother."

"Well I have some news for you regarding the ban. I figured it would be much better to tell you in private hence why I said I would speak to you after dinner." She sat on the bed. "Well, the court did not really wish to create the ban, and found it meaningless."

Naruto sighed. "I see."

"But! I would not be the queen if I could not convince them!" Kushina grinned. "We managed to work out an agreement, and came to a conclusion. All dragons remaining in the forest will be protected, however, any dragon that threatens the kingdom or the people will be killed."

"Hmm..." Naruto ran the idea through his mind. "Sounds good. I mean, it makes sense. If there are any more rogue dragons around, that means that they can be dealt with. But the ones remaining here so far have no intentions of harming us. Or at least, that is what Sasuke told me."

"Oh, Sasuke told you about the dragons in the forest?!" She inquired with an excited and curious look in her eyes. "What did he say? What do they think of us? Have they ever mentioned or met your father? Have they-"

"Mother, please! Thats enough!" Naruto said, trying not get overwhelmed by her questions. "I don't know about all of that, as Sasuke only told me a few things here and there. But if you are wondering, yes they are still loyal to our kingdom. They have been holding off dangers and threats to us for decades, even after the war. So even if we can't protect all of them, I am sure they appreciate our efforts in return."

"Well thats good. I am happy that I was able to help. Tomorrow I will be signing the paperwork. And then everything will be as it should from that point onward. I'm so happy I could help my little prince~" She gave the blonde a kiss on the forehead.

"Mother... yes, thank you very much. I'm sure Sasuke will be thrilled to hear the news as well. By the way... where is he?"

"I believe he was ordered to help in the kitchen. He will be joining you once he is finished."

"Ah, I see. Well then, thank you for telling me this mother. Now you should get some rest. I know what it is like having to constantly deal with the court day in and day out."

"Yes." The queen stood to her feet and headed for the door. "Good night, my prince."

"Good night, mother."

Naruto walked over to the door and watched her go down the hallway, eventually disappearing into the darkness of the corridor. Night time was settling in, and he could feel the coolness of early spring creeping into the air. Closing the door, the prince went back into his room and lit the fireplace. Since he had already taken a bath before dinner he had a little bit of time to spare. He decided to spend it by continuing where he left off by reading more books about magic and dragon lore. As he did so, he kept an eye on the time, and decided he would wait until Sasuke returned before going to bed.

Eventually the only sounds in the room were the crackling of the fireplace and the grandfather clock ticking away. As it got later into the night, Naruto was already working on his third book before he looked up. It was getting closer to the middle of the night. Surely Sasuke must be done by now? Curiously, the blonde put the book down and got up. He made his way to the door and opened it. His heart completely jumped when a firm voice greeted him.

"Is there anything wrong, my prince? Are you having trouble sleeping?"

"Fuck!" Naruto all but yelled. "You scared the shit out of me. And no, that isn't the issue." He said, looking up and down the hallway. "Where is Sasuke?"

"I believe he is still helping with some tasks, my prince. He will return shortly. But for now, I am standing guard in his absence."

 _'Hmm...'_ Something about that didn't sound quite right. "Then perhaps you could go and fetch him for me. Tell everyone that he is to return to my room immediately."

"I'm afraid I can not leave my post. I will tell the next guard who comes to relieve me."

"...did mother put you up to this?" Maybe it was punishment for Sasuke and Madara acting out earlier?

"No, my prince. I am simply fulfilling my duties. Now you should rest. It is getting quite late and you still must train tomorrow."

"..." Naruto did as he was told and closed the door. _"What the fuck?"_ He muttered to himself. What the hell could they have Sasuke doing downstairs that could be holding him out so late? Something didn't add up. The prince paced his room, trying to think of a way he could either sneak out or get rid of the guard at his door. However, before he could get too deep in thought, he heard tapping come from his balcony. _'What the?'_

"Hey, Naruto. Its me. Open up."

The prince quickly went over to the balcony door and opened it. Needless to say, even though he recognized his voice, he was still surprised to see Sasuke standing on the other side. "Sasuke? What the hell are you doing?"

The dragon sighed as he walked inside. "Sorry but... those damn guards and servants wouldn't turn me loose. First they wanted me to do one thing and then about twenty other things. They seemed way too eager to keep me away from you and I thought something was fishy. So I managed to sneak away through one of the windows and flew up here."

"Oh yeah? I was thinking the same thing. But I'm glad you're here. Now I can get rid of the guard thats at my door."

"So theres a guard standing outside, huh?" Sasuke marched over to the door.

"Sasuke, wait! What are you doing?!"

Without hesitation, Sasuke opened the door, turned to the guard and bared his fangs. "Beat it!"

"Oh! A-are you back? Th-then very well! I shall leave you and the prince be!" The guard bowed and quickly made haste down the hallway.

"Hmph." Sasuke snorted and slammed the door shut. "There. Now everything is taken care of."

"Seriously? If that guard goes and blabs off to the others, I'll never hear the end of it from Madara! And wont they get suspicious of you now that you're gone?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure they can handle whatever the fuck else they wanted me to do." The male griped, shedding himself free of the annoying clothes and armor he was wearing and climbing into Naruto's bed.

"Well yes but- hey!" The blonde frowned. "What the hell did I say about sleeping without any clothes on?!"

"Whatever. All that armor and shit is heavy and uncomfortable. I don't even need it."

"Yeah but that still doesn't mean you get to sleep butt ass naked in my bed! Seriously, if I wake up one more time next to you without any clothes on, you're sleeping out on the balcony!"

"Shut up." Sasuke grabbed Naruto and forcefully pulled him down into the bed. "You're the only one making a big deal out of it. Its natural for most dragons to be without clothes. Thats exactly how humans left us when they threw us out. Right?"

"W-well yeah but..." Naruto blushed a bit as he was crushed between the dragon's muscular arm and his firm chest that heaved with each breath he took. _'Goddamn does he really need to be this ripped?!'_ The prince couldn't lie: for a dragon, Sasuke was pretty sexy. Most dragons are just lanky and slender.

"Or are you worried that some scandal might ensue? What, never shared a bed with another guy before?" He smirked.

"Thats not the point!" the prince quickly retorted. "I-I mean it is true that nobles in established families are allowed to bed with the same sex but... I.. uh... just put some clothes on damn it!"

"Don't wanna." The dragon replied sleepily, and let out a tired yawn as he still held Naruto in his grasp. "Good night."

"What?! HEY! Hey dammit!" The prince desperately tried to get out of Sasuke's hold but it was all for naught. The more he struggled, the more he just seemed to tire himself out. Eventually he gave up and sighed. "Fine... but this is the _last_ time! Next time you better wear clothes or I really will-"

A single snore left Sasuke's throat.

 _'Did he seriously fall asleep already?'_ Naruto curiously looked up. Sasuke's eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow. His body temperature even started to cool down a bit. He had really gone to sleep. "I guess they really have been working you to death, huh? ...good night."

The prince silently made himself comfortable in the bed, and nuzzled into Sasuke a bit as he tucked his head half way under the sheets. He didn't want to admit it, but he really did feel safe like this. He almost felt like a baby animal being nurtured by its mother. Or maybe thats just what being forcefully coddled by a dragon is supposed to feel like. Either way, it was enough to lull the prince to sleep as he drifted off.

The night remained silent; everything seemed to just be slowly turning into the start of the next day. But just as morning arrived, there were voices all over the halls. The sounds of footsteps and maids frantically scrambling and chattering about echoed through the chambers. The air seemed to have become rather tense. Something was wrong.

"MY PRINCE!" There was a loud banging at Naruto's door. "My prince! Please forgive the intrusion but we're coming in!" The sound of keys jingled as the guard unlocked the door. Both Madara and Kakashi ran into the room without warning and immediately made haste to Naruto's bed.

"Wake up, prince!" Madara yelled sternly, shaking the blonde awake.

"Wh-what?! Madara?! What the hell!" Blue eyes hazily opened as the prince looked at both men standing beside his bed with contempt. "What is all this racket? Whats going on?!"

"Nnn..." Sasuke stirred in the bed and also started to wake up upon hearing all the commotion.

"Naruto... its your mother." Kakashi said.

"What? What about mother?! Is she ill?"

"No..."

"Kakashi, make sure the dragon does not move nor leave this room." The mage grabbed hold of Naruto and pulled him out of the bed. He gave the dragon a scorned look before walking off with Naruto.

"Hey, Madara! Wait! I'm not dressed!"

"I am sorry, my prince. But this cannot wait."

"What can't wait? Madara, tell me whats going on!" He demanded, getting more and more impatient as the mage drug him further down the hallway and away from the room. "And why is Sasuke not coming with me? Answer me damn it! What is-"

Before he could make further demands, Madara came to a sudden halt in front of Kushina's door. There were maids and servants gathered around in small groups, and a few guards around that were questioning them. Naruto was confused at the scene, and couldn't make sense of anything. So he looked at Madara, who just sighed and slowly opened the door to the queen's room.

The sight Naruto saw before him did more than just take his breath away. It made his entire complexion go pale. "Mother..." The view before him, was so gruesome and horrible that he had to keep himself from vomiting.

Kushina was laid out on her bed with lacerations all across her body; her white night gown had been reduced to nothing more than torn pieces of fabric. There was blood dried up on the marble floor, and even more splattered across her sheets and even the wall. She had been murdered during the night.

"Mother... mother!" Naruto ran into the room and dropped to his knees at her bedside. He grabbed her hand, and looked her body over once more. He wasn't sure if he should still be shocked, angry, or having tears flow from his eyes as he looked at her listless, pale white face. Her eyes were still open; whatever had happened, she had seen it all and was powerless against it.

"My prince... I.. we..." Madara fumbled his words, unable to come up with a response.

Naruto remained silent. He said nothing. Eventually the hallway grew quiet as well. Everyone knew what had happened. The prince rested his head on the bed, and took several moments of silence. No one uttered a word; not even a whisper as they watched their prince quietly mourn over the loss of his mother. Konoha's queen, along with the king, was now gone from this world.


	6. Chapter 6

**~:✞:~**

The servants continued to mutter quietly in the hall. Naruto brought a hand to his mother's face, and slid her eyelids closed gently with his fingertips. She would no longer have to bear witness to any more horrors that would be seen in the castle. Suddenly there were loud footsteps followed by a loud roar as Sasuke pushed his way past all the servants and guards.

"Get out of my way!" The dragon snarled, glaring at guards and _daring_ them to put a single hand on him. However, when he finally took in the full view of the sight of the scene in front of him, he froze in place. _'The Queen... she's... no...'_

Hearing the commotion, a disgruntled Madara walked toward the doorway and stood in front of Sasuke, eyes seething with absolute malice and discontent as he stared at the dragon. "Dragon..." He hissed through his teeth. "What is it you have done?! Taking the queen's life. I should have known not to trust you. Nothing good ever comes out of trusting a ruthless beast like-"

"Oh you think I did it?!" Sasuke snarled, taking a step closer to the mage. "What about YOU? Keeping me all held up by those servants last night. How do we know it wasn't you who came in and killed the queen to secure your place in the castle?" With that, Sasuke shoved the man.

"Why you!" Madara held up his gauntlets and a burning purple aura surrounded them. "How dare you-"

"ENOUGH!" The prince's voiced boomed through the room and echoed into the hall; it was enough to immediately silence all chit-chat. The blonde stood to his feet, and walked towards both the mage and Sasuke. "Both of you shut your damn mouths. How dare you stand and argue in the presence of MY mother's corpse! This isn't even the kind of disrespect I'd expect from a peasant! Both you... get out of my sight!"

"But my prince!" Madara tried to argue.

"I said, GET OUT! Leave me be!" Naruto swiftly turned his back to them. "...I have to clean up this mess. And... bury my mother." With that, the prince said no more as he slammed the queen's doors shut.

There was a moment of pause for everyone out in the hall. Sasuke and Madara shared one more passing glance before separating and going to their own way. The servants were quickly ushered by the guards to return back to their posts until given other instructions. The morning had never felt so cold and disorderly. And to think that spring has only just started to bring new life, only for one to be taken away.

Time went by as Naruto isolated himself in his mother's room, biting his thumbnail and pacing anxiously back and fourth as a man with gray hair and glasses looked over his mother's corpse before sighing and covering her body up with the sheet.

"Well, Doctor Kabuto... What have you managed to conclude?" Kakashi asked from the other side of the room, setting down his book as he looked up.

The doctor cleared his throat and took off his blood stained gloves. "Well..." He seemed to hesitate for a brief moment before Naruto slammed his fist down on the dresser.

"Fucking answer! What happened to my mother!"

"Naruto, calm yourself!" Kakashi urged.

"No, its fine, Kakashi." Kabuto said, straightening out his white trench coat. "But..." the doctor shifted his gaze to Naruto. "She was certainly murdered. However, if wasn't done by any mere person."

"What are you saying?!" Naruto yelled. "Who did it? Who killed her?!"

"...It was a dragon, my prince."

"Wh-what...?"

"C-could you explain, doctor?" Kakashi said. His expression also seemed to be filled with confusion.

"Yes. From my observations, the cuts on her body were far too deep to be inflicted by a knife, and too ragged to be done by a sword. No. They were deep gashes that lacerated her skin. To keep her from screaming, her mouth was covered with one hand while other continued to slash. Eventually, she bled to death and died from her wounds. Something like this could have only been done by the claws of a dragon."

"No... this can't be happening... are you SURE, Doctor?!" Naruto went over and grabbed Kabuto by the shoulders. "Are you absolutely SURE?!"

"...yes. I am almost certain that it was a dragon. She was killed during the night. Possibly early in the morning while it was still dark out; before dawn perhaps. Either way, these are the classic tell-tale signs of a dragon attack. I have treated many wounds in the case of dragons and I can tell you... no other beast could have done this. Not even a lion."

"So what you're saying is... what you're.. saying is... heh... heheh... this is crazy..." Naruto seemed to be losing track of his sanity. Was it true? Had a dragon really come in and killed his mother? Or was this just yet another one of his bad nightmares he had yet to wake up from? This couldn't be real. No way in hell this was _actually_ happening. In his haze, Naruto failed to realized he was grasping Kabuto harder, to the point of hurting him.

"Naruto!" Kakashi pulled him back. "Thats enough. Why don't you return to your bedroom chambers and rest. We'll finish sorting things out here."

"..."

"I can understand that this is all quiet sudden and alarming to you, my prince. But right now, you are not in a good mental state. Please rest." Kabuto insisted.

"Right... rest..." The prince silently left his mother's chambers and returned to his own. Many things were spiraling through the prince's mind. And he couldn't seem to keep his thoughts in one piece. As he entered his room, Sasuke stood up and approached him.

"Hey! What happ-" The dragon came to a halt when Naruto drew his sword and held it to his throat. "Nnn..." He looked at Naruto in surprise.

"Dragon... he said... a dragon did it." He stuck the tip of his blade into Sasuke's neck. "A dragon _killed my mother_!" He snapped.

"What? But thats-"

"Impossible? Yeah. I know, right?" The prince laughed nervously, still not quite in his right mind. "A dragon came in and killed her. Right under my fucking nose. Right in her bed. And didn't even have the courtesy to give her a quick death. She suffered until she died. Just like my father." Naruto paused. "Like.. my father..."

"Naruto, listen-"

"Don't fucking move!" He pushed the blade further into Sasuke's throat, causing the dragon to back away. "Why did I trust you beasts? Why did I think something could be changed? Are you doing this just to fuck with me?! Is this what you were hoping to gain? You goddamned beast..." Suddenly papers and books began to fly off shelves in the room; dust started picking up off the ground.

 _'What the? Wind?'_ Sasuke incurred as he looked around the room. But both the door and the windows were closed. Where would wind be coming from? It then hit him. It was being summoned from Naruto himself. "Naruto, look! I didn't do it! Alright? I swear to you and on the grave of both the king and the queen that I had _nothing_ to do with this!"

"And why should I believe you?!" Naruto yelled, approaching Sasuke as the wind in the room began to get more violent. "Why should I believe anything you have to say?! I should have known... you are no different. You are no different from any of those fire-breathing beasts! You killed my father and now my mother! KNEEL!"

"Naruto-"

"I SAID KNEEL!"

A swirling surge of wind suddenly surrounded Sasuke, and when he very carefully turned his head, he saw that every sharp object with a point was being aimed at him, floating dangerously in the air, just begging him to do anything that the prince didn't command. Surrendering, Sasuke got on his knees and knelt before Naruto.

The prince wasted no time closing the distance between them. His sword had not wavered a bit as he kept it aimed at the dragon's throat. "And after all that preaching you did about saying you would protect me. Saying that you would be there for me... and this happens. Of all people... of all people that actually hoped for my ascension to the throne and wanted me to rise as king, mother wanted it the most. She had faith in me. She had FAITH in me, Sasuke!"

"..."

"She supported me no matter what path I chose to take. She smiled and only wished for my happiness and the happiness of the kingdom. And now... she is gone. Just like father. We let our guard down once. Just once, and now we are taking the fall for it."

Sasuke remained quiet.

"SAY SOMETHING!" Naruto hit Sasuke's jaw with the hilt of his sword. "Go on! Mock me! Tell me how I'm a fool for falling into such an obvious trap! Tell me that I was never going to become king, that I was nothing more than a worthless, useless prince that-"

"NARUTO!" The dragon growled, looking up with glowing yellow eyes. "Stop it..."

"No! Its true! I was never meant to be a king or a prince! You were right, Sasuke! I am meant to die! There was never any intention for me to settle wars and continue peace with other nations and put an end to a war that never should have ended! You should all just die! Or better yet, kill me. Do it."

"No."

"Why not?!"

"Because that is not what I promised."

"Yet my mother-"

"I didn't kill your mother!" Sasuke rose back up to his feet, finally having enough of this whole pity and self-hatred charade being taken out on him. "You dumb ass prince... why the hell would I go out of the way to kill your mother without killing you as well? What point would there be to that? What would it solve? Nothing. It would only fuel your kingdom to kill all the dragons sooner! If I truly wanted to rid this land of you, your entire kingdom would be burnt to the ground. I would have led my _own_ army. But I didn't."

"..."

"Instead I swore to protect your ass from any harm. And I'm sorry I wasn't there to do anything to protect the queen as well. You can blame me for that. I should have done more than just swearing my life to you, but to the queen and even the late king being your grandfather as well. You can blame me for that, but I will NOT stand for you accusing me of killing your mother!" Sasuke cautiously took a step toward Naruto and reached out toward him. "You can believe me, Naruto."

"Sasuke..."

"Come on. Don't be the stupid prince you just claimed you were. You're not. You're smart. I'm sure even you can see that this was all nothing more than a setup to have me executed. I wouldn't be surprised if thats what they are trying to plot right now. But if you don't believe me..." The dragon took the prince's sword and made him hold it to the side of his neck. "Then you can kill me."

"S-Sasuke..." Naruto stared at the man in disbelief. He was willing to let himself be killed just to appease him. He was truly willing to let his life be taken, even if it wasn't his doing. Even if it just meant making the prince look good. For the first time in his life, Naruto actually hesitated at the thought of slaying a dragon. Somehow... it just wasn't right. "I can't..." The prince said, taking his sword back. "I can't do it, Sasuke..." Tears began to flow from the prince's eyes. "You're... you're the only one left."

"What?"

"If I kill you... I wont have anyone left to talk to. I wont have anyone to listen to me sound stupid. No one left to believe in me. Or to hear me cry..." A metal rattling noise was made as Naruto's sword hit the marble floor beneath him. The swirling wind came to a halt and everything else fell down as well. "I still don't know why you are doing this for me. But... ngh..." The prince desperately tried to fight back his tears.

"Idiot." The dragon sighed and pulled Naruto into his chest, trying to comfort and support him. "I already told you why."

"I-I know that, but... I still just don't understand. What do you have to lose?"

"Everything. But... losing you would be kind of bad, too."

"What do you mean? How would that be bad?"

"Because-"

Suddenly a loud voice was heard from the other side of the door. "My prince!" A guard called out. "Very sorry to disturb you. But Sasuke has been ordered to be detained in the dungeon beneath the castle!"

"What?!" Naruto quickly fixed his face and opened the door. "And who gave you these orders? Was it Madara?"

"No, my prince." The guard held up a paper. "It was the Royal Court. They have ruled that Sasuke is an immediate threat to the royal family and people of the kingdom and he is to be detained until further notice."

Naruto snatched the paper from the guard's hand and read it over. It was true. The council believed Sasuke to be responsible and not only wanted him detained, but a decision was going to be made to have him executed. "Execution?"

"What?" Sasuke quickly walked over and read the paper as well.

"I didn't give permission for this!"

"I am sorry, my prince. If you have issue, you may dispute it with the Royal Council. Until anything else is ruled, we are forced to obey orders." With nothing else being said, two other strong guards dressed in heavy armor pushed their way into the room and grabbed Sasuke.

"Unhand me! I can walk myself!"

"Sasuke. Just... go along with it for now. I will tend to everything."

"..." Sasuke wanted to protest, but decided to hold his tongue and obey Naruto. It might make him look better if he just went along with everything for now instead of resisting. He said nothing as the guards took him away.

Naruto looked at the guard. "Call a meeting with the court."

"Yes, my prince."

Meanwhile Sasuke was all but being dragged to the dungeon by the two elite guards that had secured him from earlier. Once in the dungeon, he was stripped of his clothes and armor, then had his ankles and wrists chained together. A metal spiked collar was then put around his neck and he was chained to a wall. Lastly, a monk came in and started chanting; a glyph appeared over his back and glowing golden chains came from it. They wrapped around his wings, forcing them to fold against his back and then tightly wound them together. A magic lock appeared to keep the chains in place and then the glyph disappeared. The monk then bowed to the guards and left with his work finished.

Then, someone else entered the dungeon. Sasuke couldn't help but to let out a low growl when he saw who it was.

"Hahaha... thats a fitting look for you, dragon." Madara said, looking at Sasuke with a mocking grin as he approached the nude man. "This was probably how the prince first found you. Exposed, weak, pathetic!" The mage grabbed Sasuke's jaw and yanked him forward.

"Grrr..." Sasuke bore his fangs. His left cheek was then met by a cold, hard slap of the mage's gauntlet. It actually hurt enough to make the dragon wince.

"Don't you dare show your teeth to me!" Madara bellowed. "Especially in the pitiful state you are in. Especially knowing what you have done to the queen."

"I haven't done jack shit!"

"SILENCE!" An orb of dark magic appeared in the mage's hand. "Or I will make sure you never speak again."

"..."

"Hmph." The orb disappeared. "Not that it will matter. Once the Royal Court reaches their decision, your pleasant life here in the castle will be over. You should be grateful that it doesn't end here. So, enjoy the few days you have left staring at these walls. They may be the last thing you ever see again."

With that, the mage turned away and started walking for the exit. "Oh and guards... if he makes any noise, even if the chain rattles slightly... strike him. As much and as hard you can. It will teach him a few good manners~"

"YOU BASTARD!" Sasuke tried to take a go at Madara, but was held back by the chains followed by one of the guards striking him in the face with a sword hilt. "Gah!" He snapped at the guards, and they struck him again. Unable to do anything back, Sasuke growled and grunted in pain as they continued their ruthless assault.

Hearing the scene unfold was absolutely delicious to the mage's ears. As Madara ascended the stairway, he smiled to himself. _'Now what will be your choice, prince?'_

 **~:::~**

Three days since the killing of Naruto's mother had passed. A funeral had been held for her, and she was buried on castle grounds. The kingdom of Konoha wept for their fallen queen. Madara held a very heart-compelling speech, exclaiming that this will not be the end for Konoha and everything will still manage to work out with his help and that of the late king. Since Naruto had to still wait for his coronation day to be crowned king, his grandfather Jiraiya, had to step in as temporary king to lead the throne and manage the country with the loss of Kushina.

Since then, Naruto hadn't had much time to spend or speak with his grandfather, however, he instructed the guards to keep a close eye on him at all costs. The last thing he could afford to lose right now was the final remaining remnant of his family. Kushina's death was rather hard on Naruto, and he refused to train and had even skipped out on meals. He often found himself strolling through the garden and admiring the flowers and plants she so delicately took of. Each time he came across the lavender and roses that would be prepared in buckets for baths, or the ginger root his mother used for tea, he had to fight back tears and anger. His mother's death impacted him in an entirely different way than his father's. He wasn't there for her. He couldn't see her death happen like his father's. He didn't hear her scream or even grab her rapier to fight back with. She was just... gone. But unlike his father, he got to see her lifeless body after the battle. That stung him in more ways than one. The king's death was a memory in his mind where he got to witness his acts of bravery. But the queen... she couldn't even prove her worth before her life was taken. Thats what got to Naruto. The fact that Kushina's death was so sudden, and didn't even bear witness to it. He almost couldn't believe it was true until he touched her cold body the first time.

Just the memory alone was enough to give Naruto chills. Followed by rage and confusion. But he couldn't do anything out of line yet. No. He had to somehow convince the court that Sasuke was innocent. There was no way Sasuke could have killed the queen. It all just seemed... too strange. Only under a weird amount of circumstances could Sasuke have actually gone out of his way to kill Kushina and then reunite with him in the room before a guard had noticed. It must have been by another dragon. Or better yet, a person. But... Kabuto already pointed out that the marks left behind on Kushina were those of a dragon. Yet, no dragon was spotted entering nor exiting the kingdom that night. A dragon had not even been seen around the kingdom borders since two seasons ago, and most of those sightings were that of Sasuke. _'Damn.'_ That already didn't look good. Naruto decided that the only way to know for sure, was to go and ask Sasuke himself.

And while that plan sounded easy enough, it wasn't. Naruto was forbidden from seeing Sasuke until the Royal Court held the meeting, which was scheduled for tomorrow. In fact, the prince hadn't even been able to send a meal to the dragon, or even a letter inquiring how he was doing. Kakashi seemed to think that if he showed any concern for Sasuke while the court reached a decision, it would make him look overly suspicious and hold enough evidence to hold Sasuke guilty of the crime. Naruto was actually very surprised that the knight himself even thought that Kushina's death was suspicious. There had to have been something else at play for it to have happened. And the more he thought about it, the more that both Kakashi and Naruto began to suspect foul play. It was no secret that the kingdom still had a vendetta against dragons, but Naruto had to remember that he couldn't trust anyone in the castle either. Or at least, thats what Sasuke told him.

Furthermore, Kushina's death seemed to be brought on shortly after reinstating the ban against hunting dragons. It certainly sounded like _someone_ didn't agree with that. So took it out on her while also being able to pin the blame on Sasuke. It was all just too convenient. At the time, it looked like a simple plan. But it was far more complex than Naruto initially thought. Yeah. This _had_ to be an act of foul play. After pondering in the garden some more, the prince finally understood what he needed to do. But first he would need some help.

He quickly made haste to his grandfather's chambers and rushed in unannounced. "Grandfather! I need your hel- Gah!"

Unfortunately, Jiraiya was busy _pampering_ a partially nude women wrapped in a thin bed sheet on his lap. Upon hearing the prince's voice, the young woman jolted and clung to the late king, hiding her face in his chest. "M-my prince..." She uttered meekly. "Pl-please, don't look at me in such a vulnerable state."

"...grandpa! What did I tell you about this?!"

"Well my dear prince, had you have knocked you wouldn't have seen such a wonderful sight."

"Wonderful?!"

"And furthermore, Madara has kept me so busy with paperwork and upholding the throne that I've barely had time to myself these days. I had to go out into the night and pick up a lovely beauty to replenish my energy~"

Needless to say, Naruto was not amused. "You know, grandfather, I could report this to Madara right now and I doubt he would have anything good to say about it. You shouldn't be mingling with strange women, especially after what happened to mother."

Hearing that, Jiraiya sat up in the chair he was leaning against. "Oh come now, Naruto! Give an old man a break!"

"Well I could... if you were willing to me a favor."

"And what favor is that?"

"I need to see Sasuke. Before tomorrow. Before... before I lose him forever. I need to confirm something and make sure of everything before the court serves his head on a dinner plate!"

"You... really trust that dragon?"

"Yes." Naruto said without hesitation. "There is no other person I _can_ trust. And he has been by my side since we have met. Please, allow me to have a private audience with him in the dungeon. I just need to talk to him."

Jiraiya sighed and rubbed his forehead. "That is quite the favor, young prince. For me to do that, I would need to relieve the guards of their posts. And you would only get so much time after that. If they catch you down there and find out I allowed you, we both could be accused of treason. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, I do. But treason or not, I have to do this. Not just for Sasuke, but also... for mother. She believed in us both. That we could put an end to things like this happening. She must have known that her death was imminent at the very least. But we couldn't do anything to prevent that. Please grandfather..." He took several steps towards the old man. "I ask you this not as a prince, but as your grandson." He got on his knees. "Do me just this one favor."

Jiraiya sighed and scratched his head. Naruto really had him in a pickle. And that plead just now... how could he say no to that? "On your feet, Naruto. I will grant you this request. But the only thing I ask is that you do not get caught. I will go and see what I can do. Wait for my signal, and take that as your chance to go see Sasuke. But again, you will only have a limited amount of time."

Naruto stood back up. "Thank you, grandfather! Thank you so much!" He couldn't help but throw his arms around Jiraiya, practically squishing the young woman that was with him as he gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Nnn! A-alright, now! Thats enough!" Jiraiya laughed heartily. "I love you, grandson. I'll do whatever makes you happy. And you certainly seem happy about this."

"Yes. I promise to repay you! I will go get ready and await your signal!" The prince ran out of the room.

The young woman giggled. "He is so just like his father, is he not?"

"Yes. Yes he is." Jiraiya smiled in agreement.

While Naruto waited for Jiraiya to get everything together, the blonde began to do things on his part as well. First he needed to make sure he had a good excuse ready for any reasons why he wouldn't be in his room. So he went ahead and told Madara as well as the other guards that he would be going on patrol. Of course, he knew that leaving kingdom grounds right now would be dangerous, so he said he would only be patrolling the castle grounds. Otherwise, he would have to deal with the sentry guards worrying if he didn't appear at all. At least this way, he could take his time as long as he reported back. After that was done, Naruto waited patiently in his room for his grandfather's signal. The afternoon quickly faded into the dark of night. He lit the fireplace to keep his room warm as he heard thunder outside. Thank god he wasn't going to actually patrol.

A knock then sounded upon his door. "My prince, I have something to give you."

"Come in."

One of the head servants walked in with a silver platter. And on it was a slice of apple pie. "Your grandfather wished you to have this, as he thought you could use a bit of cheering up."

"Oh. Thanks." Naruto took the pie. "You may leave now."

"Of course, sir." The servant bowed and left.

Naruto had to admit it felt a little strange to have servants and guards bringing him food instead of Sakura. Ever since the death of his mother, Sakura was forbidden from speaking to him as well. Instead she was to stay confined to her room until the meeting with the Royal Court was over. A lot of other guards were being held accountable for Kushina's death too. But then, why only target Sasuke? This again just proved to be more and more suspicious. After indulging in the apple pie, Naruto was done _receiving the signal_. No doubt his grandfather did this for good luck. _'Thank you, grandfather.'_

After setting down the silver plate, Naruto donned some dark attire and put a hood over his head. He then very quietly made his way to the dungeon downstairs. Even though he had the darkness of the hallways hiding him, he still had to be wary torches and the guards who were on patrol. By this time though, the servants were mostly done and retiring for the day. Naruto hid behind a staircase as a group of knights walked by. They seemed to be chatting about the weather and how it ruined the night's hunt. Typical. After they were gone, Naruto quickly ran for the dungeon entrance. If Jiraiya did everything correctly, there would be no one guarding Sasuke. He donned one of the torches and quietly walked down the stairs.

Once he got to ground level, he began to look around. Rats, bones, and dust followed by the smell of rusty metal and the dampness due to rainwater leaking from the ceiling seemed to be all that greeted him. However, as he got further to the back end of the dungeon, he could faintly see a shadow hovering in the corner of a cell. "Sasuke?" He called out. But he was only met with a quiet echo. "Sasuke, is that you?"

"..." There wasn't a response from the figure.

"Hang on. I'll get you out of there." But just as Naruto approached the cell and began to fiddle with the lock, suddenly a loud growl sounded off and he quickly fell backwards as Sasuke lunged at him. "Shit! The hell are you doing?!"

"Grrrr!" Sasuke had one of his arms reaching out toward Naruto from within in the cell. He was clawing at the air, clearly intending to do the prince harm. His eyes were glowing with a sinister yellow, compared to when they were normally haunting like that of a cat's. His body was covered in numerous cuts and dried blood. His hair was disheveled. But perhaps what was the most terrifying, was the fact that he didn't even seem to know who Naruto was.

"Sasuke... Sasuke, stop! Its me!" The prince quickly stood up. "What the hell did they do to you?!" He went over to the cell, hoping to reason with the dragon only to be swatted by one of his claws. "Ouch! Damn it..." Naruto touched his face and looked at his hand; he was bleeding. _'Shit, this isn't good... if Sasuke appears like this in the court tomorrow, they'll kill him with no questions asked!'_

Sasuke continued to bellow and roar, clearly agitated of both Naruto's presence and the miserable state he had been in. His endless amounts of torture had led him back to becoming feral and overly defensive. In a way, it was pitiful. Like watching a wild animal being cornered and now its only defense was to fight. Naruto was so disgusted by this that he wanted to just let Sasuke loose and have him go wild on all the guards in the castle. But he couldn't. Somehow, someway, he needed to calm the dragon down.

"Sasuke... its me, Naruto! Come on you damn dragon! I know you can hear me in there!"

"GRRRRR!"

"Damn it! Sasuke, stop it! This isn't what you want to do right now! Right?! Do you want to fucking die here? Do you want to just throw it all away and all have the remainder of your kind killed? Thats not what you promised, remember? And thats not what you promised me. You said you'd be here for me! Well..." Naruto marched up to the cell. "Where the fuck are you now?! Because all I see is a raging beast."

Sasuke snarled and inhaled. He shot out a fireball at Naruto which the blonde was able to block with his arm guards.

"Ouch! Fuck, thats hot!" He waved his arm around, trying to shake off the heat. "Alright you damn dragon! Thats enough." He once again approached the cell. This time he held out his hand. "I think you need to _cool off_!" Naruto countered by shooting out a ball of wind at Sasuke. It was enough to send the dragon flying back into the wall.

Sasuke landed on his knees and coughed. His chest heaved with every breath, and his skin was pale in the flickering flame of Naruto's torch. He looked absolutely miserable.

Naruto opened the cell door and cautiously walked over to the dragon and knelt down. "Sasuke... come on. Talk to me. Who did this to you?"

But instead of answering, Sasuke looked up at Naruto, snarled, and latched onto his neck with his mouth. "Grr!" He sunk his fangs in further, drawing blood and putting pressure on Naruto's windpipe.

"Ngh! S-Sasuke! St-stop it! Stop it, Sasuke!" Naruto gasped. He was running out of breath. Sasuke was actually trying to kill him. Then it was true. They really were trying to frame him. And what better way would there be to get rid of both him and the dragon, than by having Sasuke kill him by himself. Whoever did this must have thought several steps ahead. Either way, if he didn't get out of Sasuke's vice-like grip, he was going to be history. "S-Sasuke... stop it.. I can't breathe..."

Sasuke pushed Naruto down while keeping his hold on him. He seemed to be ignoring the blonde's pleas, even as he began to hit him. But upon some of the prince's blood trickling down his throat, the dragon suddenly stopped applying pressure. His pupils that were once constricted in a feral rage, suddenly dilated.

"Sasuke!" Naruto whacked him hard in the head.

"Ngh!" he finally released Naruto from his jaws. "N... Naruto?"

"Yes, its me you idiot! Finally!" The prince said, sitting up with a raspy voice. "Goddammit I really thought I was going to die! What the fuck happened to you?!"

Sasuke slowly turned his face and looked at the prince. "Naruto..."

"Y-yeah?" He replied with a cough. "Do you finally realize its me now and not your dinner bell?"

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's shoulders, pulled him forward and then stared deeply into his eyes, as if to confirm it was actually the prince. "Ah.. Naruto. I'm sorry..." His forehead fell onto the blonde's left shoulder.

"Sasuke..." Naruto sighed in relief. "Its ok. Just... tell me what happened. Why are you like this? And I also need to know more information on the night mother was killed. Can you tell me that much?"

"Why I'm like this..."

"Yeah. It couldn't have been grandfather that ordered this. Was it those dirty guards? I swear I'll-"

"No. It was that bastard, Madara."

"Madara? He did this...?"

"Yeah. He told them to beat me senseless if I even so much as moved. He refused to give me food or water and said that I would be kept down here forever. I can hardly remember anything other than the times where they would come in and beat me for fun..."

Upon hearing that, Naruto felt this sense of guilt striking through his chest like a lightning bolt. "Sasuke, I'm sorry. I had no idea they were keeping you like this the whole time. Let alone Madara, but... he hates dragons the most so I'm not surprised."

"Ngh..." Sasuke seemed to wince at the chains that were tightly bound around his wrists and ankles.

"Oh, hang on. I'll get you out."

"No." Sasuke stopped Naruto's hand. "You can't. If they come back and find me free, they'll kill me. And they'll kill you, too."

"...damn. You're right." The prince sighed. In the end there was nothing he could do to ease Sasuke's pain. He had to watch him suffer like this until proving his innocence tomorrow. "Sasuke, listen... tomorrow is the day that you will be summoned before the Royal Court and myself. I need you to stay just like you are now. You can't go all crazy and deranged like earlier. Can you do that?"

"Yeah... I think I can. As long as I can see you there, I should be fine."

"Good. But also, Sasuke, tell me... you didn't do it, did you?"

"...no. I came directly to you as soon as I could. You have my word."

"Then it really was someone else who killed mother. Listen, I'm going to try to prove your innocence to the court tomorrow. So don't speak out of line and go along with everything I say. I'm not going to let them have their way! Just because they don't see me as having potential for being the next crowned king doesn't mean I am going to standby and let them do as they please. You have my word!" But he was again met with silence. "Hey, are you listening?"

"Ah... you're still bleeding..." Sasuke stared at Naruto's neck before bringing his face forward and latching onto him once more.

"Gah! Sasuke, its fine! Stop! I can treat it myself...!"

But Sasuke seemed to ignore him and continued to lick at the blood and the bite wound. He swirled his tongue around one of the puncture marks which made Naruto wince, but then went on to lick at his collarbone.

"Hah.. w-wait, Sasuke. That feels weird..."

The dragon continued to assault the prince, going up from his collarbone and then sucking on his neck once more. He grazed his fangs against the wet skin, and then bit the blonde's ear, nibbling at the lobe.

Naruto tried to keep his voice down, thinking that maybe Sasuke was just malnourished and not thinking clearly. But it was obvious what the dragon was doing. While he didn't deny that it felt good if not weird to be getting groomed by a dragon, the prince knew that if he didn't stop Sasuke this would continue on longer than he would like or have time for. He brought a hand to Sasuke's face and turned it toward him. "Sasuke, listen... we can't keep going. Not here. So just hold out until tomorrow. I promise I'll set you free and then you can do whatever you want to make up for all of this happening to you."

"...promise?"

"Yeah. I promise. You can do whatever you want to me. Kick my ass, set my room on fire, or hell even set Madara on fire if you want. I wont stop you."

"Hmph. You wont stop me? That sounds tempting you know?"

"Yeah. I know Madara's an ass so-"

"Madara's not what I was talking about." He grinned.

Naruto swallowed thickly. _'Oh.'_ He probably meant that he wanted to keep grooming him. Or at least he _hoped_ thats what he meant. "Listen, just hold out until tomorrow. I'll be there. And we're going to get this solved and figure out who did this to mother." He then gave Sasuke a hug.

"Ah? Wait, what are you doing?" Sasuke was obviously taken by surprise at the sudden gesture.

"Hugging you, you idiot. Thats what you always did for me so now I'm returning the favor." He then pushed the male away and looked at him. "So don't go crazy again."

"Yeah. I wont."

"Good. I have to leave. You can thank grandfather for getting me to come down here to check on you." With that, Naruto quickly donned the torch he brought with him and and then made haste for the stairs. As he left, Sasuke sat on the cold concrete floor and sighed, resting his arms atop his knees.

 _'Don't do anything stupid, you idiot...'_ With that thought in mind, he subconsciously licked a bit of dried blood from his lip. There was a faint warmness in the dragon's chest.

 **~:::~**

The fated day finally arrived. The Royal Court called all guards, servants, and ranks of the castle to the grand court. Everyone made haste to the room in an orderly fashion, taking their seats at either side of the room on stone bleachers. At the end of the room were three thrones, a large one in the middle reserved for the king, and two smaller ones on both side for the prince and Madara. The three were the second to arrive after everyone else was situated. Naruto was dressed in his normal princely attire, with his fur trimmed cape flowing behind him. His grandfather, however, was fitted with a royal blue and silver velvet cape that drug along the floor. They both sat in their thrones; Madara sat to the left of Jiraiya.

Lastly, the five members of the Royal Court finally entered the room: Hashirama, who often sought peaceful methods. Tobirama, a serious worker who wanted nothing more than the good of the kingdom. Danzo, an old man who never had anything to contribute other than a complaint and often countered any good decision. Kakashi, who even though retired from knighthood was elected as member of the court for his level-headedness. And lastly, Sarutobi. The eldest of all the men who was the head councilmen and prime minister of the kingdom. Very few people could argue against his words once a decision was made. He often got into fights and conflicts with Danzo who was vying for spot of prime minister next.

As the five gentlemen sat down at a table located at the foot of the three thrones, Sarutobi picked up a stack of papers and began to read the contents on them. "As you all know, just four nights ago, the queen was murdered in her bedroom, with seemingly no witnesses around or reports until after her body was discovered. The culprit, according to our very own Doctor Kabuto of the royal family, assessed the situation and was able to confirm that the heinous act was done by a dragon."

Everyone in the audience began to mutter, looking at each other and chatting to themselves about the possibility of a dragon infiltrating the castle.

"Silence!" Madara ordered. "Lord Saurtobi, continue your readings."

"Mnn." The old man nodded. "I have the reports from Kabuto as well. He has compared the markings to those of other dragon wounds he has had to treat in the past, and undoubtedly believes that one of the creatures are responsible. However, we have reason to believe that it wasn't a dragon from outside the kingdom who killed the queen. But rather, from in the castle!"

Everyone gasped and the audience grew loud again. Naruto anxiously curled his fingers into the armrest of the golden throne, chipping a few of his nails. He knew what was about to come next.

"Guards!" Madara shouted. "Bring in the beast!"

Just then, the doors to the courtroom opened and Sasuke was led in by chains. Two guards were keeping him held secure. He was wearing a peasant's robe and nothing else. However, Naruto could see fresh new cuts and wounds on his arms and face. They had beaten him again, possibly in an attempt to rile him up and look guilty. _'This isn't good...'_

Sasuke shook his head a few times, disoriented by the sudden bright light and voices of people all around him. He started to feel agitated again. Eventually he was able to focus his eyesight on Naruto and calmed down.

 _'Thats right. Just keep your eyes on me, Sasuke.'_

"Kneel, dragon!" A guard struck him in the back of the head with his sword hilt, causing the man to drop to his knees.

"Dragon... how do you plead?" Sarutobi asked.

"Ngh... not... guilty."

"Heh. We'll see about that~" Madara chuckled to himself. "Wont we, prince?" He looked over to Naruto but the blonde just ignored him. It was obvious that Madara was just trying to get him riled up.

"And just what makes you think you are innocent?" Danzo questioned. "Our guards on patrol reported NO OTHER dragons entering nor exiting the castle grounds. Not even our sentry units saw so much as a sliver of a wing in the night. Which means, it had to be you."

"NO!" Naruto stood up. Suddenly all eyes were on him. "It wasn't Sasuke!"

"Prince! Know your place!" Madara snapped.

"Oh?" Sarutobi looked up at the blonde. "And what makes you think that, my prince?"

"Because on the night mother was killed... Sasuke was with me. He couldn't have gone to the queen's chambers otherwise he would have been stopped."

"That may be so..." Tobirama began to speak up. "But I was told by numerous servants that he was supposed to be helping clean up after dinner that night. However, he managed to sneak away. Just where could he have gone, then?"

"To me of course! Sasuke's only job is to service me, not do dirty dish work that is reserved for the servants! I know for a fact Sasuke wouldn't have had time to kill mother because mother visited me that night! And that was during the time frame that Sasuke was still downstairs. And then once mother left my room, Sasuke returned to me right after! So there, your theory that it was Sasuke's doing makes no since! The time-frames conflict!"

This sudden bit information had everyone in the room go silent for a moment. If it was true that Sasuke was with Naruto during the time she was killed, then who could have done it? Soon enough people in the audience began to conspire; some even doubting the prince.

"If you do not believe me, you can ask the guard who was on standby in front of my door! You there!" Naruto pointed the guard out.

"Y-yes my prince?!"

"Tell them. You were at my door that night when Sasuke returned through my window. He told you to get lost."

"Yes, I can confirm that! I was told to keep watch of the prince until Sasuke returned. But thats all I was told to do and nothing more. I can confirm that the dragon himself established his return and also that the Queen had left roughly an hour or so ago before he had appeared. It is the truth!"

"What? Nonsense!" Madara shouted in an outburst. "That cannot be correct."

"It is as he says!" Sasuke spoke out.

"Quiet, dragon!" Madara's gauntlets lit up but before he could shoot a ball of magic, Naruto's sword was already beneath his neck. "Pr-prince?"

"If you harm my dragon any more than what you have done, I will kill you. Understood? Now take a seat."

"Tch..." Madara sat back down.

"Sasuke. Explain what happened while you were helping the servants." Sarutobi instructed.

Sasuke paused for a moment to think. "Shortly after dinner, I was instructed to stay behind and help clear the table, toss out food, and help the cleaning crew. No one told me who gave the order, just that I wasn't allowed to leave my post until everything was done. At first I thought nothing of it, but eventually realized that I was being held there longer than necessary. When I got the chance to sneak away, I did. And returned to Naruto's side."

"And how did you return to the prince's room? The guards didn't report seeing you in the hallways."

"I flew up to his balcony window and asked to be let in."

"Hmm... So then that you means you very well could have easily flown in through the window of Kushina's bedroom as well!" Danzo pointed out. "Which means that some time during the night, you killed the queen! You just tried to make yourself look innocent by going back to the prince!"

Before the crowd got too wild, Kakashi spoke up next. "That may be so, Danzo. But you are forgetting something. I was the first one there that morning to go fetch Naruto after discovering the queen, along with Madara. Based on what I saw, the dragon truly was with Naruto the entire night. And might I add, there wasn't a droplet of blood anywhere on him."

"Is that correct, Madara? Did you witness Sasuke with Naruto the same morning?"

Madara gritted his teeth. "Yes, Lord Sarutobi. He was with him."

Naruto had honestly expected Madara to lie. However, lying would put him in far greater trouble if it proved to be true. That and, he had Kakashi against him. He probably thought that the knight wouldn't take the dragon's side. Oh, how wonderfully wrong he was and beautiful it was to see his frustrated face at the whole situation. The more information that came to light, the more innocent Sasuke looked. This is going just as planned. But it wasn't over yet.

"Then, if it is not the dragon Sasuke who committed the crime, then who did? There are no other dragons in the castle or the kingdom." Tobirama spoke. "And my guards have not seen tooth, nail, nor hair of a single one since winter."

"Oh, well thats where you are wrong, Tobirama." Madara said.

"What do you mean, Madara?" Sarutobi questioned. "Do you know of any other dragons here?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I do. Sakura!" He pointed the girl out sitting among the audience.

"Wh-what? Me?! I didn't!" The dragoness said, standing up to defend herself.

"Thats bullshit!" Naruto argued. "Sakura would never harm the royal family!"

"Oh? She wouldn't? Well she is the only other dragon here in the castle! And it has already been confirmed that the clawmarks on the queen's body was done by a dragon!"

"Yes, but Kabuto also stated that it was done with two hands! One was placed over mother's mouth to keep her from yelling while the other was used to assault her! And Sakura's hands are chained!" Naruto then looked over to the dragoness. "Right, Sakura?!"

The girl's heart suddenly skipped a beat. The chains. Oh no. _The chains._ She tried to hide her hands into her maid dress, but that only drew attention to them.

"She is not wearing any shackles!" A maid sitting behind her pointed out.

"What? Sakura, where are your shackles?! Who took them off?!" Naruto demanded.

The girl was quiet, but her green eyes glanced in Sasuke's direction. Everyone around her then started asking the same thing. One maid even held up one of her hands to prove that she wasn't wearing any. The audience began to push and shove her.

Unable to see this go on, Sasuke stood up and opened his mouth. "It was-"

"I TOOK THEM OFF!" Sakura shouted. "They just kept getting in the way of my work, that I couldn't take it anymore. So I broke them. It was before dinner. The head maid noticed that they were gone and said she would get me some new ones. I apologized for the trouble and continued to do my work. However, before new ones could be placed upon me, I was ordered to go to my room. But I swear to you all, I did NOT kill the queen!"

Everyone began to boo, not believing Sakura's words. They then threw her to the floor of the court, several feet from where she was in the audience. She was then grabbed by two other guards who drug her to the center of the court room next to Sasuke.

"I-I'm telling you! I didn't do it!" She began to cry.

"To think, a dragon that we held pity on and allowed to not only serve the royal family but also be allowed to breathe the same air, turned around and betrayed us." Danzo shook his head.

"Sakura didn't do it!" Sasuke tried to protest.

"What, so are you admitting that you did it afterall?" Madara spoke up. "Are you willing to give your head in place of hers? So much for your vow to the prince, hm?" The mage chuckled mockingly.

"You bastard!" Sasuke lunged forward but was yanked back by the guards.

"Sasuke! Eyes here!" Naruto instructed. He waited for the dragon to calm down before turning his attention back to Sakura. "Sakura... its not true, is it? You didn't kill mother."

"I swear on my life, I did not!" She pleaded. "You have to believe me!"

"But the evidence surrounding her death fits. During that night when your hands were free, it was true that you were also helping to get things cleaned up before all the servants turned in for the night. Sasuke left early, but we have already established that he went straight to the prince's room. Therefore..." Hashirama locked eyes with Sakura. "You left when everything was finished, which was late into the night by then. Giving you ample enough time to sneak into the queen's chambers and kill her. I'm sure all the queen needed was to hear your voice, allowing you to come in. Then, catching her off guard, you committed the heinous act."

Everyone's attention turned back to Sakura. "No! Thats not what happened! I went to bed after everyone else! I swear by it!"

"After everyone else, you say? So then you admit that you were the last awake during that time. You have no other witnesses to back you up. Furthermore, you removed the shackles from your wrists that are to always remain at all times. You not only broke a sacred vow you had to this family and kingdom by doing so, but you took out your rage on the queen."

"NO!"

"Guilty." Hashirama said with no other words.

"Guilty." Danzo followed up with.

"I wish I didn't have to think it was true but... it just all seems too coincidental. Guilty." Tobirama sighed.

"And as for you, Kakashi?" Sarutobi questioned.

"..."

"Kakashi."

"...she's innocent."

"Hah! You probably should have stayed a knight!" Danzo mocked. "How dare you try to hold out hope for this girl knowing the crime she has committed."

"I'm not saying anything." Kakashi stated. "I'm just saying that she's innocent."

It wasn't long before everyone in the audience began to refute Kakashi's claim of innocence. "Guilty! GUILTY! SHE'S GUILTY!" They all screamed and chanted. The corridor began to fill with angry voices and seething hatred. They began to throw things at the girl; cups, hard pieces of jewelry, decor. It was obvious that the people were not on her side.

"I say she's innocent as well!" Naruto tried to plea. But froze when Jiraiya held an arm out to his chest, and then shook his head. Realizing that his grandfather too could not argue with the court nor the people's choice, Naruto looked back out to Sakura. "She's innocent! INNOCENT!"

"SILEEEENCE!" Sarutobi ordered as he stood up. The entire room went quiet. "It is obvious to me that the court and the people have reached a decision. As prime minister, my job is to adhere to the wishes and the well-being of the people. Based on this newfound information regarding Sakura..." he looked at the dragoness. "I am sorry, Sakura. Even if it is true that you had no intentions of harming the queen, you did break a sacred vow by removing your shackles. Thus making you look guilty and showing rebellion to the royal family. Therefore... I have no choice but to announce execution."

"NO! SHE DIDN'T FUCKING DO ANYTHING!" Sasuke snarled.

"Hold him there!" Tobirama ordered.

Sasuke was dragged away from the center of the courtroom. And then a guillotine was brought in. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Naruto tried to prevent it from happening. But he was again held back by Jiraiya. "Grandfather! You seriously don't believe Sakura did this, do you?!"

"No, but... if I protest this execution, what will happen to Sasuke? What about you?"

Naruto stared at his grandfather, and then looked back down at the scene with Sakura. Damn it, it looked like no matter how Naruto tried to get things in his favor, he always messed up somehow! And now Sakura was going to suffer for it. She was going to suffer because it was his fault, but also the fault of someone else who didn't want to be found out. _'Why? Why is this happening...'_

 _'KILL HER, KILL HER, KILL HER!'_ Was being furiously chanted all through the hall. Sakura was being dragged over to the guillotine. Her green eyes were shedding endless tears as she yanked and threw herself around, desperately trying to get out of the guards' holds. When her head was brought down to the base of the guillotine, Sarutobi sighed and walked over to her.

"Do you have any last words, Sakura?"

"..." Sakura looked up at the old man with tears in her misty mint colored eyes. "Please... spare me..."

"I'm sorry. But this is what must be done. You have brought this upon yourself." With that, Sarutobi gave the order to have the blade lowered.

Everything in Sakura's mind then became a haze. Her vision grew blurry. All around her were people chanting and wishing for her death. The very same people she had sworn her life to serve and protect. And now, they throwing her away like a bad piece of meat. _'Humans... are cruel.'_ She suddenly thought. _'Why... we do everything for them still... it isn't enough...'_ The guard grabbed the lever. _'It isn't enough...'_ The lever was pulled. _'IT ISN'T ENOUGH!'_

Suddenly a cloud of mystical pink smoke appeared. The rumbling sounds of growling followed by sinister, glowing green eyes looked out to the people of the room. Once the smoke cleared, the head of a feathered, pink and white dragon reared up and let out a roar so fierce that it rattled the entire courtroom. Sakura broke free of her leg shackles and swung her neck into a wall, shattering the guillotine in the process.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, everyone began to panic and scream. Sarutobi was pulled to safety while Kakashi and the other council members took out their blades. Seeing their swords coming upon her, Sakura swiftly turned around and swung her broad tail right into the bodies of the councilmen, knocking them into a wall. She then crashed through the doors of the court.

"Don't let her escape!" Madara ordered, leaping from the throne beside Jiraiya and going after her.

"Sakura, come back!" Naruto also gave chase. And with everyone distracted, Sasuke was also able to get free and go after them.

Sakura continued to run down the hall, destroying everything in her way and knocking out any guards that dared to stop her. However when she found herself surrounded, she busted through a wall and into the garden.

"She's in the queen's garden! After her!" A knight yelled.

Naruto tried to keep up, but his breath began to give out. "Damn it... Sakura... wait..."

"NARUTO!"

"Huh?" The blonde looked behind him and saw Sasuke running towards him.

"Grab onto me! Now!" As he ran toward the blonde, mystical smoke began to surround him as well. Looks like Naruto got the hint as he ran past him and he latched on. Sasuke transformed and then took off after Sakura. His wings were still sealed so he couldn't fly, however, he was faster than the dragoness and managed to catch up. "Stop it, Sakura!" He roared. "You don't have to do this!" He then leaped in front her, cutting off her escape route.

Sakura reared up and then came down on the male dragon. When he managed to dodge, she inhaled and breathed out fire. Sasuke countered it with his own, and being much stronger than Sakura's firepower, was able to push her back and send her tumbling. But the dragoness just got right back up.

"Damn it. She isn't listening..." Sasuke grunted.

"Its almost like... she isn't Sakura anymore..." Naruto said, watching her relentlessly swipe at and kill other knights coming to their defense. "Sasuke... she's like how you were. In the dungeon. She's completely abandoned all reason and now all she can do is fight."

Sasuke sighed. "Yeah. Its because they pushed her to this point. After being treated cruelly all her life and accepting the fact that as long as she did what she was told she would get no repercussions. But now, all of that has changed. She's never thought about what would happen if suddenly the whole kingdom went up against her. She's reacting just like any animal caught in a trap would. If they have no way out, then the only thing left they can do is fight."

Naruto listened to Sasuke as he watched Sakura desperately fight off guards. It was obvious that she was confused and in pain. None of this was supposed to be happening to her. None of this was her fault. She was just a little girl taken from her home, and forced to live out the rest of her life as a slave. And now that she can't be a slave anymore, she's back to being a what she always was: a dragon.

"Sasuke, is there anything we can do?"

"Well reasoning with her is out. But she's younger and weaker than I am. We can try tiring her out and then go from there."

"Right." Naruto held on tightly to Sasuke's prickly mane. Its interesting how they looked like jagged spikes from a glance, but some of them were soft enough to grab onto. Minus the three or four of them that kept digging into his legs. Obviously not all of them were flexible. But he would have to make do. "Ok, Sasuke. Lets do this!"

Sasuke reared up and ran towards Sakura. "What do you want me to do?!"

"Uh... go for her blind spot! Ram into her and get her away from the castle!"

"Got it!" Sasuke did as he was told and headbutted Sakura. The dragoness was knocked several yards away from the castle and the garden.

"Good! Now no one else will get hurt! Now just come back up on her... nice and easy..."

When Sakura stood back up and charged at Sasuke, Naruto gave him the order. "Now! Dodge her and grab her by the tail!"

Sasuke swiftly got out of the way, and then latched onto the dragoness' tail with his mouth. He swung her around into a large oak tree, then drug her back out, lifted her back up by the tail, and slammed her into the ground.

"Good work, Sasuke! I think that did it! Now lets see if she can be reasoned with." Naruto slid down from the male dragon and cautiously made his way over to Sakura. She seemed to be completely still, and breathing heavily from the fight. Even as she heard Naruto's footsteps approach, she didn't move. "Sakura... are you ok?"

"..." Smoke surrounded her form again as she transformed back into her human state. "Naruto..."

"Oh thank god!" Naruto ran over and picked her up. "Thank god you're ok!"

"...why?"

"Why? Because I was worried! I don't want you to die! Look, just get up and run straight for the forest. You'll be safe there! Ok?!"

"I... can't..."

"What do you mean? Of course you can! Sasuke and I will make sure of it!"

"No... I can't, Naruto. I don't want to run anymore."

"What are you saying..."

"Thank you for everything, Naruto. But... you have to kill me. I can't go to the forest... I don't even know how to be a dragon."

"What?! Don't be stupid, Sakura! I am not killing you! Understand? I wont let anyone kill you! I know you're innocent!"

"Be that as it may... if you do not kill a dragon, Naruto, you cannot be crowned king. Remember? Its because... because of this country's corrupt laws. If you don't kill a dragon before your coronation, you wont be king."

"I don't care! I don't care about being king anymore! I just... I just don't want any more people close to me dying or getting hurt! Please Sakura..."

"...Naruto.." Just then, she could hear footsteps and armor headed their way. The knights had managed to recover. And they were fast approaching. "I'm sorry about this, Naruto. But now, its for your own good." The dragoness' eyes began to glow and then she latched onto Naruto's throat. "Either you kill me, or I kill you!"

"Naruto!" Sasuke ran over.

"Stop!" She growled, looking at the dragon. "If you pull me away, I'll rip away his jugular in the process. Is that what you want?!"

"...tch." Sasuke held still.

"Ngh... but Sakura... why... why are you doing this?"

"Because... I want you to become king. I want you to live. Out of everyone I have met in my entire life, you were the only person who made my life meaningful. Now... allow me to return the favor." She bit down harder. "Kill me or die!"

"Gah!" At this point, Naruto was struggling to breathe. He could feel his body growing heavy and weaker from lack of oxygen. It almost reminded him of when Sasuke had bitten him last night, only this time, he was actually going to die if he didn't do something. With Madara and the other knight's voices in the distance, he knew that there was only one thing he could do. He grabbed his sword.

"My prince!" Madara shouted as he got nearer. "We're coming to save you from that beast!"

But the blonde ignored them and took his sword, and ran it through Sakura's chest. At that exact moment, he felt the dragoness loosen her grip. She fell backward into Naruto's arms as he caught her. There was a smile on her face.

"Sakura... Sakura.. I'm sorry!"

"Heh... its fine... this is how I wanted to go out... by your hands, my prince. That was my only purpose..."

"No. Killing you wasn't my purpose! It was never even my intention!"

"You're always.. so... considerate... Naruto..." She weakly brought a hand up to the prince's cheek, and the her body went limp.

"SAKURA!"

All the other knights from the castle arrived and assessed the situation. "Th-the dragon, my prince. Is she.. dead?"

"...yes. She is gone from this world. And is no longer a threat. And furthermore..." Naruto stood to his feet and looked at them with a scowl. "Shouldn't you be calling me king, soon?"

"What?" They questioned.

"I have slain a dragon, have I not? Then, I expect a crown on my coronation day. That is all. Now, leave."

"But-"

"I SAID LEAVE!"

The knights flinched but did as they were instructed. Madara stood there briefly before a warning growl made by Sasuke was enough to get him going. The dragon then went over to Naruto's side and shape-shifted back into his human form.

"Naruto... I'm sorry."

"Lets bury her in the forest."

"What?"

"Sakura. She deserves to be reunited with all the other dragons in the forest. I know it may not be where she originally came from, but thats where her spirit should rest."

"Yeah... lets go."

 **~:::~**

After burying Sakura's body deep into the forest where no one would disturb her, Sasuke and Naruto returned to the castle later that day. They were both wet and muddy due to the rain. Naruto was quiet the whole way back. After being tended to and assuring their safety by the servants, Naruto ordered that all of Sasuke's binds be removed. The following day, a monk was summoned and the magic chains binding his wings were unsealed. They both then returned to the bedrooms upstairs.

Sasuke wasted no time stretching out his now free wings. "Fucking finally..." He exhaled. "Its about damn time."

"Yeah." Naruto said, sitting on the edge of his bed. He stared at the floor.

Sasuke watched him. It was obvious that he still had Sakura's death on his mind. And it had only been a day, so it wasn't as if everything was going to be fine now. "Hey, listen. Its not your fault, Naruto."

"I know."

"Do you really know?"

"..."

"Well? Do you really know, Naruto?"

"I don't know! Ok? I don't fucking know anymore. I don't know whats my fault, why shit keeps happening, hell, I don't even know if I want to be king anymore!"

"Well I do! And so did Sakura! And your mother and your father! Are you just going to throw them all under the bus just because of what happened? Don't you want to become king and laugh in that bastard Madara's face? All this happened because of him... if theres anyone to blame, its that trifling mage!"

Naruto sighed. "So you think so, too?"

"I KNOW so! He's the one that had to have set all this up! Didn't you see how eager he was to kill me? He tortured me for days, Naruto! And then when things didn't go as planned, he took it out on Sakura!"

"Yeah. Thats what I think too but... remember what Kabuto said? Mother was killed by a dragon. I don't believe Sakura did it but... who else did then?"

"Its not hard to take a dragon's claw and go to town on someone. They even have them for sale at marketplaces as souvenirs. I'm sure thats what it was."

"No... that can't be it. They were slashes, not just single slices."

"Hmm... thats true."

"Hey, Madara wouldn't happen to be a dragon too, would he?"

"Pfft. No way! I'd be able to smell him fifty miles away if he was. He's definitely magical though, but theres not an ounce of dragon blood in him."

"Hmm... then it wasn't Madara."

"Why are you so quick to dismiss him?!" Sasuke snarled. "The man's obviously got a vendetta against dragons! He's the most obvious person here!"

"Yeah I know, Sasuke!" Naruto looked up. "But I just... Madara has been a part of the royal family ever since he was taken in by my grandmother. Along her travels, she had come across him, weak, helpless, and starving to death on the road. It turned out that his entire kingdom had fallen to the attack of a dragon. People looted what was left and the high ranking officials abandoned them. In the end, he was the only one left fighting. They... they just abandoned him, too. I can see why he hates dragons. But I can't see why he would go out of his way to kill anyone in the family!"

"Clearly, it is because he's insane."

Naruto chuckled a bit. "Yeah. Maybe so. But if Madara's not a dragon like you said, and no other dragons were spotted during that night, then that does mean it sounds an awful lot like a setup. Madara raised me when my father died. At the time I didn't know why he told me to hate dragons. But when I learned of his past, it became clear. I guess... I guess I just sympathize with him."

"Great, now _you're_ crazy too!"

"Hey, come on! I atleast told you why!"

"Yeah but still. I don't trust him. And I damn sure don't trust anyone else in this castle. I would watch out for your grandfather if I were you. He might be next."

"Sasuke!"

"What? Do you want me to lie or be real about the situation? Your grandfather's going to be targeted next. And then all that will leave is you! Then what?!"

"...I don't know." The prince looked back down at his floor. "I don't know..."

"Well I'll tell you what I do know." The dragon walked up to Naruto and grabbed him by the shoulders. "I'm not going to let that happen. I already told you, I swore to keep you safe. And if I need to pull some extra weight to look out for the remainder of your family, I'll do that, too."

"Sasuke..."

"And... damn it. I can't take it anymore."

"What? Can't take what?"

"Your blood... ever since tasting it... I've been... craving more."

"WHAT?!" Naruto backed away. "You're not gonna eat me, are you?!"

"No... just hold still." Sasuke leaned forward and bit into Naruto's neck.

"Ouch! Sasuke, you bit me!"

After the dragon's fangs once again punctured the prince's neck, he was met with a rather appetizing scent that seemed to make his spine tingle. He eagerly licked up the blood. And then he began to attack more of the prince's neck. _'Damn it... why am I...'_

"H-hey... Sasuke..." Naruto began to blush. "Cut it out..."

"Remember your promise?"

"What promise?" _BITE._ "Ouch! Ok, yeah I remember! I said you could do whatever you wanted!"

"Good..." Sasuke's breath began to pick up. He pushed Naruto down to the bed and tore open his shirt. He ignored the blonde's further protests and began to bite and suck on his chest. He grazed his fangs over one of his nipples and licked around it until hardened. He then inflicted another bite.

"Ow! S-Sasuke... why are you doing this? Ahh..." He couldn't hold back a moan. This had to be _more_ than a dragon version of grooming. Obviously, Sasuke was fixated on Naruto, and the blonde had no clue why. The more he squirmed, the more Sasuke bit and pressed his weight against him. _'Don't tell me I'm about to be fucked by a dragon!'_ When Naruto felt the belt to his pants undone and lowered, he got his answer.

"Naruto..." Sasuke glanced up with a feral look in his eyes. "I'm going to ravage you."

* * *

 _Thanks for reading. Please leave me a review if you can on what you think so far. Apologies for the belated update~_


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